Betrayal
by readernurse
Summary: When Merlin must reveal himself to in order to save Arthur and Uther, what will the reaction be, and how will Merlin and Arthur handle the outcome? Spoilers for first 2 seasons, Lots and lots of angst.First fic, so please review and let me know what you think. Thanks.
1. Preparations

**A/N: I don't own Merlin.**

**This is my first fic, so I apologize for any errors. Please point them out and I will do my best to correct them. For the story: There will be whump and angst; but no slash, just bromance. It takes place between seasons 2 and 3.**

_The fire leapt higher and danced in an alluring way. The music seemed to fuel it, and he could no longer tell what he was thinking or doing. All that he saw was the fire, and all that he heard was the haunting music, filling his senses and dulling his thoughts. He could think of nothing else. _

One Day Earlier

"_MERLIN_!" Arthur drew out the name as he shouted for his manservant.

"_I'm coming_, you don't have to yell that loud." Merlin said, miming popping his eardrums. "We're not all as deaf as certain royal prats."

"What did you say?" Arthur stopped walking to turn to Merlin, daring him to repeat himself.

"Exactly my point" Merlin pointed out with a grin on his face, then ducked around Arthur into the stables as he dodged the friendly punch aimed at his shoulder.

Arthur let out a sigh as he followed Merlin into the stables. He did give Merlin the perfect opening for that comeback, and was frustrated he did not have a comeback. "I need you to make sure that everything is ready for the hunt. You know it is not often my father comes with us and I do not want _anything_ to mess this up. Understand?" He glared at Merlin as if Merlin was the 'anything' he had mentioned.

"I got it, I got it...I'll be careful. So I guess that means armor polished, food packed, hunting supplies gathered, the usual?" The sarcastic tone merlin had as he listed off the items made Arthur struggle not to laugh as he replied. "Don't forget mucking out the stables...I know it's your favorite chore, and I wouldn't want to deprive you of your enjoyment." Merlin's grin faltered for a minute, then reappeared. "True, it is better than some chores...at least it doesn't smell as bad as your laundry."

"Shut up, Merlin. I have to go meet my father now, I expect you to come up and help me get ready for dinner tonight with Morgana and my father."

"Yes, Sire." Merlin said with a grin playing around his eyes. He knew he had won this round of banter.

"Very good. I'll see you then." Arthur faintly returned the smile as he left the stables, letting Merlin turn with a sigh to his chores.

Dinner that night was uneventful, and the conversation flittered around crops, tournaments, and rumors of sorcery. The majority of the conversation though, was about the hunt the next day: which knights would attend, where the hunt would take place, and what time to leave. The usual details being all worked out, Arthur excused himself from the table, motioning for Merlin to follow him.

"Is everything ready for tomorrow?" Arthur asked as Merlin jogged to keep up with his long strides, "I want no mistakes. Sir Leon, Belfort, Montague, and Radgear will be accompanying us. Make sure you pack enough lunch for everyone. We should be back to the castle before nightfall, so no need to pack our sleeping rolls. I will ride Ignis tomorrow, make sure he is ready. Also, make –"

"Arthur, I know. We have been on how many hunts already? I will get everything ready. Ignis had new shoes applied this week, and he is in great condition. The tack is all ready…well, aImost all of it is ready, but I will finish it tonight." Merlin was glad he had already finished most of the things he had to do. Arthur was always nervous when the King was accompanying them. "I already talked to the kitchens about making lunches, and will pick them up in the morning, and the stable hands know to get the other horses ready. Everything will be fine." He finished saying this as they walked into Arthur's room, and Merlin began setting out his clothes for the night and the next day.

Arthur looked bothered by the interruption, but then sighed and sat heavily on the bed, running his hands through his hair. "Fine. You seem to actually be half-decent at your job today, I am glad to hear. Let's just hope it carries through tomorrow. I do _not_ want to be late tomorrow morning, so make sure you wake me up before dawn." He finished off his sentence with a pointed glare, and Merlin straightened up from preparing the bed. "Of course, sire. Bright and early. Although, I assume if it is before dawn, it will not be so bright. I might have to come up with a different way to wake you up. Rise and shine will not work if not even the sun is shining. Up and at 'em, Lazy Daisy perhaps?"

"_Merlin." _Arthur growled,

"Of course, here I am rambling on when you need your beauty sleep. Will there be anything else, Sire?"

"No. Just be here on time, with everything ready."

"Of course, sire." Merlin bowed very deep as he left the room, sighed, and went toward the stables to finish preparing the tack before going to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.


	2. The Attack

**A/N****: I do not own Merlin…just if you were wondering.**

Merlin hung back behind the knights as they rode into the forest. Normally, he would ride up next to Arthur, but Arthur was enjoying speaking with his father, so he stayed back. It was nice to have some peaceful time. There were a few birds up in the trees, but the rest of the animals stayed well away from the hunting party. The sun filtered through the trees, making the entire wood look like it had a hazy green light flowing through it. The air was a bit chilly, but Merlin liked it. It always helped him wake up a bit, especially on these early mornings. The knights joked softly among themselves, occasionally using merlin as the butt of their jokes trying to get a response out of him.

"So, Merlin, it appears you actually can be quiet when you try, I am amazed at the skills you show. Who would have known?" Sir Radgear said, unsuccessfully trying to keep a straight face. The other knights chuckled at Merlin's indignant face and Sir Leon added "Yeah Merlin, Don't try too hard or you might overwork yourself. I'm sure it's very difficult for you to go so long without making some noise." Merlin laughed sarcastically at the comment, but was relieved that the knights were including him in the conversation. Many of Arthur's knights had been hostile when Merlin first began as Arthur's servant, and did not show Arthur the amount of respect they thought was appropriate. This changed as Arthur and Merlin grew slowly to be friends; the knights accepted Merlin as well, and now teased Merlin just as much as Arthur did…though they were not as good at retorting as Arthur was.

"I'll have you know I can be quiet when I want to. _You_ never seem to hear me when I sneak out at night to get herbs and you are on patrol." Merlin retorted with a mischievous grin, causing the other knights to laugh as Sir Radgear tried and failed to come with a smart reply, voting instead to kick his horse into a trot, pulling away from Merlin.

The knight's laughter dropped to quiet chuckles as Arthur glanced back quizzically. Merlin dropped back behind the knights, letting them have their laughs, and started to study Arthur. Most of the time his face was serious, and Merlin could tell they were discussing matters of state or other such "kingly things", as he liked to think of it. Sometimes, though, they looked like a normal father and son sharing a joke. Arthur would smile in a way Merlin had never seen him smile to anyone else, and it reinforced to Merlin how much Arthur craved his father's attention. Arthur would never admit to it of course, but he desired his father's approval above all else.

Merlin felt a pang of jealousy as he wondered what he and Balinor would have discussed on trips like this. Would they have discussed magic? Or maybe dragons (especially Kilgarrah and his riddles…Merlin could use some advice in that area.) Or women? Merlin thought of Freya, and could feel his chest tightening and sorrow coming over him. Merlin let out a small sigh, knowing pining about it now would change nothing. Just as he pulled himself up in the saddle, shaking the thoughts out of his head, Arthur let out a yell and kicked his horse, chasing after an animal that Merlin couldn't see. Merlin grimaced and followed close behind, knowing he would be responsible for transporting the animal.

~/^\~

After a couple hours of hunting, Arthur called for a break, picking an area good for a campfire. Merlin set about picking up firewood as the knights made sure their horses were cared for. Merlin would need to care for his and Arthur's horse, as well as the king's, but first he had to get the stew started for dinner. It would be simple compared to what the king was used to, but Merlin had brought bread and fruits as well. _I need to check that those survived the ride, _Merlin thought as he set up the wood and started the fire. He gave himself a minute to warm his hands up once the fire had started. It wasn't really cold outside, but it wasn't warm either. His shirt and jacket also did not warm him as well as the chain-mail and armor worn by the rest of the hunting group, and the mist that felt so refreshing earlier was now making him feel rather cold.

Once the stew was started and his fingers warm again, he set up the blankets that Arthur and Uther would sit on. He and the knights would eat on the other side of the fire, to give the father and son some room. As Arthur had said the day before, it was rare for the king to hunt with this small a party, and he and Arthur were enjoying the time together, at least from what Merlin could tell.

Uther was difficult for Merlin to read, and it frustrated Merlin. Most of the time, he could get a good sense of people, but with Uther, it was difficult to see. He knew where his hatred of magic came from, and it made Merlin pity Uther, for he did not see the possible allies that he was turning into enemies by his tyrannical rule. There were times when Merlin saw innocent people accused of magic and how blinded Uther was by his hatred, costing innocent lives. Other times, he saw his love for Arthur and Morgana and understood that he was like any other man – out for revenge on those who had hurt his loved ones. Then there were times that Merlin just couldn't figure out what Uther was thinking. When he was angry it was easy to see, but the rest of the time … it was confusing to Merlin, so he shook his head to clear it and moved on to other chores. One thing was sure; when he was with Arthur, his face did soften just a bit - At least when they weren't having a "disagreement" about something.

As Merlin decided the stew was ready and pulled it away from the fire, preparing to serve the royal's dishes, he felt a sudden wariness, and looked around. The forest seemed quieter, as if something was wrong. He glanced around again, but did not see anything. Still, the knot in his gut would not go away, and he had learned not to ignore that feeling. He nervously pulled the pot out of the fire and set it on the rocks, his movements so rehearsed that he did not burn himself even though he was not fully paying attention.

Sir Leon had noticed Merlin's edgy behavior, and began to glance around the clearing as well. As he was about to ask Merlin what was wrong, Sir Belfort walked over. "What's taking so long, Merlin? We do need to eat _today_, you know." Merlin glanced up at Sir Belfort with a slightly forced smile, but before he could reply, he felt a surge of magic and heat, blowing him away from the fire and causing him to trip over the pot and into Sir Belfort as the older man was blown back.

The other knights jumped up in alarm as the fire spread around in a circle, blocking the group's view of Arthur and Uther. The knights let out yells, calling to the two men, but were unable to approach the fire due to the heat. The fire slowly spread outward, pushing the knights back from the increasing heat. Sir Montague tried to run through the fire, but hit an invisible barrier, and came out with burns covering his body, coughing.

"Quick, take of the chain-mail and put water on it." Merlin shouted, pulling some bandages out of his pack. "Have him drink some water and get him cooled off." Sir Radgear helped the injured knight take his armor off, and the burns covering his torso and arms made everyone cringe. As Sir Belfort joined the other knights, helping to bandage Sir Montague, Merlin pushed his magic towards the barrier. He knew he would be able to break it, but could not know what was happening inside and did not want to harm anyone inside the sphere of fire. The only way he could safely destroy the barrier was to get inside it first, then find the cause and destroy it. But if he was to get in, he would have to distract the knights so he could do so without revealing himself.

Sir Leon was intent on finding a way through the flames, and calling out to the men trapped inside. The other knights were providing first aid to Sir Montague, not paying attention. Merlin circled around the ring of flames, quickly murmuring "_Vernda mig og vini mínafrá þessum eldi_" _to_ protect both himself and the knights from the fire. Once he reached where he could see Sir Leon again, he walked back a bit to where none of the knights could see him, and pushed his magic against the barrier, finding a crack and prying it open, with just enough space for him to walk through. He then drew a quick breath and stepped through the flames.


	3. Seen

**A/N: I still don't own Merlin – just my knights.**

Arthur and his father had been discussing different things: the hunt, Essetir's borders and growing military, knighting ceremonies to be done, and even briefly discussing the search for Morgana. Uther had not been quite the same since Morgause had taken her from the castle, but today he seemed almost back to his old self. Uther even told a few jokes, which pleasantly surprised Arthur. He and his father rarely got to spend time together, and he was grateful that the knights were leaving some space for the two of them to talk.

The talk had turned to rumors of sorcery as they settled down for dinner. The knights were on the other side of the fire, and would occasionally send a joke at Merlin. For the most part, they stayed quiet and left the Prince and King in peace. As Merlin was serving up the stew, Arthur let a grin come on his face. No matter how much he pestered his manservant, he was a good cook and Arthur appreciated the company on patrols. Before Merlin came, Arthur had to put up with the knights who had learned basics; but having grown up in noble houses they never had to cook for themselves. That meant their meals left much to be desired.

He turned back to his father, and felt a sudden wave of heat at his back, and saw flames whip out around him in a wide arc, coming together on the other side of the blanket. The fire then spread outward, seeming to expand out, while rising higher and higher. Uther had jumped up and drawn his sword, so he and Arthur stood back to back eyeing the flames. "Are you alright Father?" Arthur asked, knowing the answer but wanting to confirm it. "I'm fi-" Uther was cut off as a haunting music began to drift from the flames. It seemed to come from everywhere around them, surrounding the two warriors.

The heat was beginning to make Arthur feel dizzy, and as the music built, he could feel something rising in him. He stared as the fire leapt higher and higher, dancing in an alluring fashion. The colors seemed to melt together, then separate again in a never-ending wave of blue, orange, and white that drew all of Arthur's attention toward it. The fire formed into a dome around and above them as the music built into a climax. The music seemed to fuel the fire, and Arthur could feel himself slipping, then he could no longer tell what he was thinking or doing. All that he saw was the fire, and all that he heard was the haunting music, filling his senses and dulling his thoughts. He could think of nothing else.

~/^\~

Merlin stepped out of the line of fire into the center of the ring. It had been a strange sensation coming through the ring, as his spell had protected him, but the fire had still felt very warm. He came into the middle, and was surprised that the air was not warmer. The fire had formed a dome, making the air uncomfortably warm, but not unbearable.

Two things immediately caught his attention, though: the music filling the air, seeming to draw him to safety and surrender; and the two figures in the center of the dome, swords locked in a duel: Arthur and Uther.

He could feel the music pulling his mind toward the fire, and his magic immediately rose up in him, jolting him awake. Realizing the music was part of a spell, he quickly covered his ears and incanted "_lokatofra."_ He could still hear the music, but it no longer had the hypnotizing effect on him. His next problem was a little harder to deal with. He did not have a sword on him, and the two fighters would not stop for anything he did. He tried calling to them, but they seemed unaware of what was occurring and what they were doing.

As he ran towards them, racking his brain for things he could do, Arthur twisted away from a stab, his father lunging after him. Merlin stopped short as he saw their eyes: They were on fire. There was no blue or gray in either sovereign's eyes, no pupil, and no white – only the appearance of a fire, the colors leaping and growing brighter and dimmer at each sword strike.

_The Music!_ Merlin let out a moan as he realized the fire and music must be combining to cast a spell over the two combatants. He tried to rush through everything he had learned. Water was opposing to fire, so he might need that, but Merlin didn't know what to do with the music. Earth was opposed to wind…would the music count as wind? How would he use earth, anyway? Uther let out a loud yell as one of Arthur's swings sliced through his chainmail, injuring his left shoulder. The sound spurred Merlin to action; he didn't have time for this.

_"Sto ovagald raogset jaútáel dinn!"_ He shouted, but the two men showed no signs of stopping their battle, and now Arthur had a wound across his side. "_let irthe uppspretta af thes jarma_" Merlin was desperate now, trying to think of anything that would stop the two men. "_Lo...Loka átón listog slok vaelda!_" Uther stumbled, causing a stab to go awry, missing Arthur by inches. As Arthur recovered and was going to deal a fatal blow to Uther, who was now off balance, Merlin quickly shouted the enchantment in a much more certain voice."_Loka átón listog slok vaelda!"_

The two men ceased their fighting, and seemed to be coming out of a trance. Merlin suddenly felt a tremendous pressure against his mind. _"How Dare You! Who are you that you break my enchantment?"_ the words echoed through his minds, and he felt the pressure clawing at his thoughts, trying to find his secret, and he tried reflexively to use his magic to push it away, only to find that the pain increased when he did. "_Ah, so you are Emrys. You are the guardian of our dear Pendragons? Let's see how well you protect them when you are injured and betrayed."_

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Merlin finally found the strength to push back against the voice he was hearing, but was unnerved by the response he got:

_"I am Slaum, and I am one of the many of our kind who are uniting to help bring Camelot to its knees – after getting rid of you, of course."_

"Just Try. I'll defeat you any time you attempt to hurt Camelot." Merlin replied in his mind, feeling his magic growing in strength, getting ready to rebel against the pressure the sorcerer was putting on his mind.

"_Oh, but what if it is not I who is harming you and your dear Camelot, but your friends here. How will you fight them?"_ The voice replied.

Merlin could not take the pain any longer, and used the last of his magical strength to push the foreign man out of his mind. He blinked, feeling his eyes fade from gold to blue, and looked up to see Arthur staring at him, looking shocked and betrayed. Merlin could only think one thing:

He saw me.

He saw my eyes.

.

.

Arthur knows.


	4. Caught

**A/N: I do not own Merlin**

He was sinking further and further into the flames as the music surrounded him, filling his senses. He was fighting to hang on to some sense of who he was. He knew he was a prince, and that someone important was there with him. He was losing the battle, though, and soon would not be able to come back. Then he felt the music fade, and the fire seemed to dim. Part of him panicked – he needed the music, he felt empty without it. Most of him, though, knew he had been freed from something bad, and fought to get away from the remnants of the enchanting flames. _I am Arthur!_ The realization hit him as he freed himself from the music that seemed to pull him deeper. _I am a prince, my father…Father! We were attacked – where is father?_ He began searching for the way back to consciousness, and could feel himself falling into awareness. He suddenly came to as he hit the ground, only then realizing that he had actually been falling. He tried to sit up to find his father, but black dots danced around his vision and he had to cover his eyes for a moment. Once he was oriented again, he looked around and saw his father on the ground, bleeding from a wound on his shoulder. He crawled over to him, not wanting to stand up just yet.

"Father! Father! Can you hear me?" Arthur frantically felt for a pulse at his father's neck, and then felt his panic lessen slightly as his father stirred in his arms, showing he was beginning to wake up. The bleeding had looked bad, but now that Arthur could see the cut, it was not life-threatening. He would need treatment soon, though. What had happened to him?

"Arthur?" The king looked up, dazed and began to sit himself up. "What happened? The fire…" He trailed off as they both glanced around. The fire was slowly returning to the ground, and there were muffled shouts from outside the lowering ring. The thing that caught both men's attention, though, was the servant kneeling on the charred ground. He had his head in his hands, and his eyes were closed tight as if in pain. The moment they both saw him, Merlin's eyes opened revealing a bright gold. He had been using magic.

_Merlin is a Sorcerer._

~/^\~

Leon stopped shouting, realizing it would do no good. Anxiously, he looked back at Sir Montague. The other knights seemed to have his care under control, but the burns still worried Leon. Sir Montague needed to get to Gaius, but there was no way to do that without leaving the King and Prince Arthur without knights – not that the knights were doing the two men much good now anyway. Even if they found a way through the barrier without getting covered in burns, only three of them were able to fight. Leon didn't know much about magic, but this was obviously planned and that barrier was not a simple spell – they were dealing with a powerful sorcerer.

Thinking of the options, Leon realized he had not seen Merlin since the boy had gotten the bandages for Sir Montague. The young manservant must be getting water or something – he always disappeared during fights, though usually he was hovering close by. Leon let out a sigh and started walking around the dome of flames. He didn't really expect to find a way through, but he felt like he had to do something or he would go insane. He had to be careful not to get too close, but he thought he saw a waver in the fire, as if something had passed through the heated barrier.

He went up to the area he had seen it at, but could not see anything different anymore. He hesitantly reached out, ready to pull back as soon as he felt the heat. He was shocked to see his hand reach into the fire, but to feel no burning sensation at all. He quickly pulled his hand back and tore off his glove. His shirt was singed, but his hand showed no sign of being in the fire. He pushed his hand again into the wall of flames, wincing as the white and orange licked around his hand. He felt no pain, and relaxed pushing his hand further. He was about to call the other knights when he felt something solid beneath his hand. He was only up to his wrist, and realized this must be the barrier that Sir Montague had hit. He cursed under his breath as he realized even if the fire no longer burned them, they still could not make it into the center, where the royals were.

As he looked around, praying for an idea to come up, he saw Ignis – Prince Arthur's horse. _The horses must have gotten loose when the fire began. We will need all the help we can get once this is over, and I have nothing else productive to do. _He began walking to the horse, calming it with soothing words and helping untangle the reigns from the thicket that the horse was stuck in. After the horse was free, he began to lead it back to the others, wanting to discuss the change in the mysterious fire. As he turned away from the horse to begin leading it he saw another, more visible, change in the blazes that hid the others from view. It seemed to be shrinking. Gathering into a smaller band and the top was separating, shrinking towards the ground. It was the exact opposite of what had happened earlier, at the beginning of the attack; the fire was dying!

Sir Leon let out a shout to alert the knights on the other side of the ever-shrinking flames, and then drew his sword. As the last wisps of flame disappeared into the ground, Leon saw Uther sitting on the ground, with Arthur's arms supporting him. They were both staring at a man who was kneeling over on the ground, facing away from Leon. It looked like Merlin's clothes and hair, but it couldn't be. Merlin wasn't in the dome of fire; he had been out in the forest…right?

The frantic thoughts whirling around his mind all ceased into a shocked silence when a furious Uther pointed at the young man and shouted "Seize Him!"


	5. Traitor

**A/N: I don't own Merlin**

Merlin stared at Arthur, too shocked to say anything. He watched, horrified, as Arthur's face flashed from shocked to angry, and then to sorrowful. The sorrow was quickly smothered by anger again, and Merlin even thought he saw a spark of flame in Arthur's eyes still.

"Seize Him!"

Merlin jolted, having forgotten about Uther and the others in his focus on what Arthur was thinking.

"No, please. It isn't what you think. I was helping -"

"HELPING?" Uther looked about ready to explode, and even the knights winced at his thunderous voice. "You are a _Sorcerer_! You have been lying to my son and I – to everyone! Breaking the laws of Camelot by practicing this…this evil right under our noses and you dare to try to tell me you were _helping?_"

"No! Yes! I…You don't understand" Merlin pleaded.

"I understand very well what you have done, and you will pay for your crimes against Camelot. Knights! Seize him!"

As Merlin heard armor behind him, he turned to Arthur, desperate. "Arthur, Please…I -"

Arthur winced when he heard the young warlock call his name; he had thought they were friends – thought Merlin saw him for who he was, not for what he was, but the boy had been lying. He had betrayed Arthur and all of Camelot. He had only acted friendly because Arthur was the prince. "Don't call my name as if we are close, _Sorcerer"_ Arthur hissed.

Merlin felt a sharp pain explode in the back of his head, then nothing.

Arthur watched as Merlin crumbled limply to the ground, having been knocked out by the hilt of Sir Leon's sword. He squashed the bit of remorse he felt as saying such harsh words to Merli – The Sorcerer. The young man had been lying to him – trying to get close to him. _He was succeeding, too._ A part of him whispered. How many times had his manservant used magic since he came to Camelot? No wonder he always managed to finish those impossible chores Arthur gave him to tease him – he probably never did a job himself. The "clumsy fool" had managed to fool everyone! Arthur could feel his anger rearing its head and closed his eyes.

"Sire?"

He opened his eyes to see Leon watching him, obviously worried for his prince. He had left Merl - the traitor to Sir Belfort, who was now binding his hands and feet with rope, and was approaching the prince.

"Sire? There's blood. Are you injured?" Leon was trying to speak quietly, hoping to calm the prince down some.

Arthur looked down and saw a cut in his chainmail with blood slowly seeping through. As soon as he noticed it, the gash started to hurt. He cursed under his breath and then held his hand to his side, applying pressure to the injury. What _had _Merlin done to him and his father?

"It appears so." He answered gruffly, "What on earth happened?"

Arthur glanced toward his father, worried about his wound. Sir Radgear was helping him bandage the cut on his shoulder, and he seemed otherwise unharmed. Reassured that his father was well taken care of, Arthur returned his attention to Leon.

"I don't know, Sire," Leon wished he knew, but did not know what he could tell Arthur that would lead to answers instead of more questions. "Merlin, well…he was acting strange, and then the fire suddenly exploded up and formed a dome around you and your father. It was expanding out, so we had to fall back toward the trees. Sir Montague tried to run through, but was stopped partway through and badly burned." Arthur noticed the bandaged knight lying against a tree at the end of the clearing and nodded for Leon to continue. "We all took care of his Injuries, and then I started walking around the fire, hoping to find a way through. I found out the fire no longer burned, but I still could not reach through. Then I saw Ignis, untangled him from where he was, and was returning to the others when…well, the fire just started to… to go away. I have no explanation for it, Sire. We couldn't see or hear you or the King after the flames started…" Leon trailed off, hoping for Arthur to shed some light on what had happened.

Arthur was thinking, ignoring the implied question, and then asked "When you say…the sorcerer … was acting strange, what do you mean?"

Leon struggled to hold back a sigh. "He seemed…tense, nervous. He started looking around, as if expecting someone or something to come from the woods, then – I don't know, the fire just…exploded. He wasn't even looking at it, though. He was speaking to Sir Belfort."

Arthur nodded, then raised his voice, speaking to his father. "My Lord, I suggest we return to Camelot. We need Gaius and I dare say any sport that was in the area is long gone now."

Uther nodded grimly, wincing as Sir Belfort finished tying the bandage around his shoulder, pulling the knot tight. "Gather the horses, we return immediately. Bring the traitor as well."


	6. Thoughts

**A/N: I don't own Merlin.**

As Arthur readied his horse and began the ride back to Camelot, he was only going through the motions. His mind was struggling over the shock at discovering one of his closest men was a sorcerer. He tried to sift through every memory he could, trying to find evidence he had missed, clues he had ignored. His first thought was of their first few meetings:

"_I could take you apart with one hit." _Arthur had bragged.

"_I could take you apart with less than that." _The young stranger had replied confidently. The way he said it almost made you believe the young man – almost.

Then after the second meeting, Arthur had told the young man there was something about him…something he never had been able to put his finger on. "_Well, now I know what that something was_." Arthur thought grimly.

Had the boy really been practicing magic that long? If he had magic, why had he not killed Arthur the second he met him – why had he allowed himself to be thrown into the dungeons for a night? Why had he saved Arthur from the witch disguised as Lady Helen, and why had he become Arthur's _servant_? Was he just as hopeless at magic as he was at fighting and most other things? Then how had he done…whatever he had done…today?

Arthur tried to think of other things, but everything seemed to remind him of the events of the morning. The sorcerer – For Arthur would not think of him as Merlin, as his friend, anymore - was tied up, lying across one of the horses. Arthur's side hurt, reminding him the enchantment had injured both he and his father. His father –

His father said all magic was evil, and before, Arthur would have laughed at the idea of his manservant being evil. He had been lying, pretending to be Arthur's friend. What else had he lied about? Had he pretended to dislike hurting others, only to help the sorcerers that attacked Camelot? But then why would he have saved Arthur from the witch when he was first appointed as his manservant? Why would he drink poison for Arthur? Was he enchanted, and he did not actually have magic? Why would he not deny it, then? Why would he say he was helping? Helping who? Helping another sorcerer? Helping the men who would kill him if he had magic? Why would he come to Camelot in the first place if he had magic? Arthur shook his head, trying again to get away from the thoughts bouncing around his mind. He _would_ find out the truth eventually– but dwelling on it now would only succeed in driving him mad with the questions.

He looked around at the exhausted group traveling back to Camelot. His father had hardened his face, not showing the exhaustion and pain that Arthur was sure he was feeling. His face only showed fury and contempt. Arthur knew he was angry that a sorcerer had been found living so close to them, and they had had no clue. He probably hated the sorcerer for succeeding at hiding for so long – and maybe even himself for not noticing. He was most likely also thinking of having Arthur start another hunt to see if there were any more traitors hidden in Camelot.

Leon was harder for Arthur to understand right now. He was obviously concerned, though Arthur could not tell the exact reason – the young sorcerer, the King, Arthur, everything? Leon frequently glanced at the young man bound on the horse's back, and when he did a myriad of emotions crossed his face. Confusion, worry, and sorrow all graced the knight's face when he saw the young man. Arthur could not see any anger, but that could just be well hidden. He had been betrayed as well, Arthur thought bitterly, there was no way he _couldn't_ be angry. They were exiting the forest now, approaching the city. Arthur heard the guards call out when they saw the group, then start shouting for help when they saw the injuries the group had sustained. Arthur tried sitting up, not wanting to show how exhausted he really was. The cut in his side stretched, making him wince and reminding him once again of the magical attack. "_I __**will**__ find out what happened."_ The young prince thought resolutely. "_No matter what it takes."_


	7. Need to Know

**A/N: I don't own Merlin or the characters from the show. Only my knights, the evil villian(s), and any other characters I might make up belong to me.**

**Enjoy!**

The group eventually made their way into the court and began to dismount. Sir Belfort and Radgear were instructed to take Sir Montague to Gaius's chambers, with instructions to send Gaius to the King's rooms as soon as possible. Leon was charged with transporting the sorcerer to the dungeons, and chaining him there. Arthur watched as Leon gently lifted the young man onto his shoulder, carrying him toward the dungeons. The prisoner had stirred once during the ride back to Camelot, and had to be hit over the head again to keep him unconscious. Arthur turned as he heard a commotion on the other side of the court.

"Sire!" Gaius called worriedly, looking about the group. "What happened? Are you injured anywhere else?" He asked as he approached, already assessing the damage to the King's side.

"We came under attack of a magical kind." Uther replied, beginning to walk towards his chambers and motioning for Arthur to follow. Gaius was already walking next to his sovereign, though he glanced once more about the courtyard. Arthur felt slightly guilty, assuming Gaius was looking for his ward. Gaius looked like he wanted to ask about Merlin, but neither of the injured royals volunteered any information and the wise physician did not voice his concerns.

Once the group made it to the King's chambers, Gaius gently helped Uther to his bed, looking at the king for permission before lifting his shirt to assess the wound. It did not seem too bad, but he would still need some supplies from his chambers. He gently placed his hands at different points around the cut, asking Uther about the pain and seeing if he could find out what exactly had happened.

"So a sorcerer gave you this cut?" The physician ventured, not taking his eyes from the wound.

"No, it…I think it was just a sword. We were both enchanted and do not remember what happened." Arthur jumped in, answering the question.

Gaius glanced at him, a questioning look in his eyes, then turned back to Uther. "Well, Sire, I dare say you will survive, though I will need to dress it and perhaps insert a few stitches to ensure it heals properly. I will need to get a few things from my chambers, unless Merlin is here and can fetch them?" He glanced at Arthur as he said this, hoping for an explanation as to where his ward had gone. He saw the way both men stiffened at the mention of Merlin, and the worry he had been pushing to the back of his mind settled tightly in his gut. The worry only grew as neither man seemed to want to answer.

"Arthur? What has happened to Merlin?" He steeled himself for the response, fearing the worst, and was surprised to hear Uther answer.

"The boy was the sorcerer responsible. He is being taken to the dungeons." Uther announced, sorry to say that which he knew would hurt his friend. The shock that crossed Gaius's face was not missed by either of the men there with him, though he attempted to school his features to not show the worry that was now quite close to panic. "Don't worry, old friend," Uther tried to calm him, misinterpreting the shock and worry. "I know you would not have housed him these years if you had known he was practicing magic. The boy fooled us all, and I know it must be hard to hear he has been lying to you as well."

Gaius nodded absentmindedly, trying to process what had been said. He managed to recover though, at least for enough time to leave the room. "Excuse me, sires, but I need to gather the supplies from my chambers" Gaius rose to leave the room, holding back the urge to run to the dungeons and see Merlin. He wanted to ask how the boy was, but knew he would have to treat Uther and Arthur before worrying about Merlin. "Arthur, you will need to remove your chainmail before I return so I can see your wound." He ordered quietly as he left the room.

Only once Gaius was truly alone in his room did he allow himself to feel the sorrow that he had been holding in. His breath came out in shudders, and he covered his hands with his face. "Oh, Merlin." He breathed, not allowing himself to cry, "What have you done, my boy?" He allowed himself to stay like that a moment longer before he took a deep breath, starting to collect his bag of supplies and herbs he would need. He had to be strong now, or he would not be able to help Merlin.

He returned to the King's chambers, and after assuring Uther that Arthur would be fine for a bit more without treatment, stitched the wound in Uther's shoulder. He applied a cooling poultice and gave the king a tonic to relieve the pain, which would also make him sleep for a bit. Once the king was taken care of, Gaius turned to Arthur. The prince had been standing by the window, hand to his side, staring out blankly into the courtyard. Gaius guided him to a chair, leaning him back so as not to press the wound. There had been a strange silence in the room, only broken by comments about the treatments.

"Arthur?" Gaius called gently, attempting to rouse the prince from his thoughts. "Are there any other injuries you need me to attend to?"

Arthur took a moment to register his words, but then he attempted to sit up straighter as he answered. "No Gaius, I am fine. Thank you, but you should go check on Sir Montague now."

Arthur hesitated as Gaius gathered his things, then once the physician was at the door he called out "Wait! I…I do need something actually." Gaius turned expectantly to the prince, waiting for his request.

"I…" Arthur paused, still seeming unsure. Suddenly, seeming to come to a decision, he sat up straighter and squared his shoulders, looking Gaius in the eye.

"I know you keep scopolio in your stores. I would like enough to make someone speak truth. I will need it as soon as you are able to bring it."

Gaius was shocked at the question, instantly realizing who Arthur wanted to force to tell the truth. He considered lying to the young royal to protect Merlin, saying he was out, but decided against it. As much as he hated the idea of Merlin – of anyone – being forced to share their secrets, Arthur would find another way to obtain such herbs. There were other, more dangerous, options that Gaius did not want used on Merlin. Hopefully, Arthur would find out how many times Merlin had used magic to save Arthur and that would affect the prince enough to make some change. If Merlin told of his heroics while under the influence of certain herbs, Arthur could not say he was lying.

"I do have some in my stores now, Sire, but I do not believe you should use them without trying to talk to him first. Depending on the amount given and his response, there can be serious effects on the person taking them."

He prayed that this would change Arthur's mind – that Arthur might try talking to Merlin first –but was disappointed by the prince's reply.

"Thank you, but I will take the herbs now. I will accompany you to your chambers to retrieve them." He ordered one of the guards to watch his father as he left the room with Gaius and began walking down the hall in silence.


	8. Truth

**A/N: I don't own Merlin.**

Arthur walked determinedly down to the dungeons, the tincture of scopolio in his hand. He gripped the bottle tightly, trying not to break it. He needed to know the truth, and right now he didn't think he would be able to hear anything Merlin said without doubting it. He had always thought the boy to be a terrible liar, but he obviously was a good enough liar. He had lied to Arthur for who knew how long, and Arthur was not about to take one more lie. He descended the stairs, shuddering as he felt the temperature drop.

When he reached the bottom, the guards stepped politely out of the way of the prince. Arthur didn't even acknowledge the two guards bowing their heads to them. He headed straight to the cells used for sorcerers. There were chains there that supposedly blocked the sorcerers from using their magic. So far, none of the people imprisoned had been able to escape using magic, so Arthur assumed the chains worked. He paused at the entrance to the hall, thinking of all the questions he had.

_Why? Why did you even start? Did you ever use it on me? Why didn't you tell me? Did you ever hurt anyone with it…Are you evil?_

That thought made Arthur almost want to laugh, but the thought of his manservant's deceit stopped it in his throat – who knew how many people he had hurt, only to lie about it. Arthur couldn't really picture Merlin hurting anyone - the boy hated to hunt even – but sorcerers were evil, right?

He made it to the cell Merlin was being kept in, and saw the young man he used to consider his friend sitting in the corner. He did have the sorcery-locking shackles on, which comforted Arthur in a strange way. He hated feeling that, but he was feeling so many different emotions right now, Arthur just shoved both the comfort and guilt to the back of his mind. He continued studying the young warlock in the corner of the cell. He had his arms wrapped around his legs, his head resting on his knees, and there was a small trickle of blood from one of the times he had been knocked out on the ride back. He looked up, his bright blue eyes full of such fear and sorrow that Arthur almost wanted to run away. Just to get back to somewhere where this wasn't happening – where Merlin was still just a bumbling idiot, he was arguing about chores with his manservant, and there was trust between them. He steeled himself, though, and opened the door to the cell before taking a step in.

~/^\~

Merlin had woken to a throbbing headache in a cell of the castle dungeons. The last thing he could remember was Arthur, looking shocked and angry and hurt all at once, calling him a sorcerer with such venom in his voice that Merlin gave up all hope of Arthur ever trusting him again. He could barely remember other moments of starting to wake up, but being knocked out again. That would explain the pounding in his head.

He sat up, waiting for the lights dancing across his vision to clear before fully assessing his situation. He looked down at the shackles chaining his wrists together, and saw strange markings across them. Probably to limit his magic. Merlin tried a simple spell, just to test them.

"_Leoht_"

He gasped as a wave of pain racked his body. The pain lasted only a few seconds, but was so severe that Merlin knew his magic would not be worth anything here. He caught his breath, feeling hopelessness wash over him. He couldn't escape even if he wanted to, and no one would be able to rescue him – he had performed magic in front of Uther! It didn't matter that he had been saving the king's life – he was now assumed to be the one who had been attacking. If Arthur's reaction had been anything to go by, Arthur would stand by his father on this. Merlin just wished there was a way to explain everything to Arthur…to tell him that he was still his friend, that he was sorry he had lied – he had so many regrets that he wanted to say sorry for, to tell him he only ever used his magic for good. He sighed, laying his head down on his knees. He heard steps approaching, and wanted to look as nonthreatening as possible for the guards. He hated being gawked at, and was sure the rumors were already flying around the castle.

He could just picture it – Nelly and Sue in the kitchens wouldn't believe it. 'A sorcerer in the royal household. Who would have known?' they would be spreading it to every servant who came through the kitchens. He smiled sadly at the image, knowing the news would bring sorrow to others as well. His heart tightened as he thought of Gaius. The old physician was like a father to him, and Merlin hoped he kept himself safe. He hated doing this to his caretaker.

He realized the steps had stopped outside his cell and were not leaving. He glanced up, wondering who had come. Arthur was standing there, his face unreadable. He was putting on the mask that Merlin had seen in court so often. There was the slightest crease to his brow, but Merlin didn't know if it meant anger or confusion…or both. Merlin saw a bottle of some potion in Arthur's hands as he unlocked the door to the cell. Once Arthur was in the cell, he handed the bottle to Merlin.

"Drink it."

His voice was the voice he used when performing official court duties, the one that showed no emotion and demanded obedience. He did an amazing job imitating his father in that aspect. Merlin reached a hand out, taking the bottle from Arthur. "Arthur, I-"

"Drink it. Now!" Arthur was barely controlling is voice, so Merlin took the lid off the small glass jar, emptying the horrible tasting contents into his mouth. He felt the contents hit his empty stomach, remembering he hadn't had anything to eat yet that day. Arthur took a step back, and they stood in silence a bit longer.

Arthur was the one who ended up breaking the deadly silence.

"Why, Merlin? Why did you lie? Why didn't you tell me? Why do you practice _magic? _You know it is against the law – you know what the rules are, so why?" Arthur's voice was a barely controlled yell now, letting his eyes flash with the anger he felt.

"Why did you do this – why did you try to hurt us? Why did you try to hurt _me_?" His voice had quieted toward the end, though he refused to let his hurt bleed through into his voice. He would not beg for answers – he would get them whether or not he begged.

Merlin could feel whatever potion Arthur had given him start to make him feel drowsy, but he was still aware of the anger and sorrow building up as he listened to Arthur.

"Arthur, _please_. I would never hurt you – I was trying to protect you!" He hoped Arthur heard the sincerity in his voice, though whatever he had been given was starting to make him woozy. He felt like the time that he had had too much to drink at a village festival – He and Will had snuck into the back of the tavern and stolen some ale. His mind felt just like it had then – he couldn't really focus, and he could feel his control slipping. "I've only ever protected you"

"How am I supposed to trust you?" Arthur could see the herb taking effect, but Merlin still had some control over what he said. "Are you saying you've never used your magic to hurt anyone – That you have never caused anyone pain with it?"

Merlin couldn't hold back the barrage of images that came to his mind as Arthur said this. "No. I have hurt people with it." _But I never wanted to! I was only trying to help…I didn't mean to!_ He wanted to shout, but his brain couldn't seem to form the words. Whatever Arthur had him drink was really messing with him.

"What do you mean? Who have you hurt?" Arthur wasn't sure he was ready for the answer, but he knew he needed to know, or he wouldn't be able to move on.

"Will died because of me – because I did magic. I killed Nimueh…she had gone too far. I also killed Sophia and Aulfric….there have been more. Aredian died because of my magic, too." Merlin said this all in a dream-like, though somewhat sad, voice. He was just staring into space, making it all doubly strange to Arthur. Merlin had _killed_ someone – he had killed multiple people. He was responsible for the death of the witchfinder? The man had fallen out a window! Arthur realized he had been right about merlin being a sorcerer, though Gaius could not be one…he would have to think about that later. The name Nimueh sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it at the moment – who was she, and what had she done to make Merlin kill her? The other names he didn't recognize at all.

"Freya, too. Her death was my fault." The sentence was said so quietly, Arthur was barely sure he heard. Merlin looked torn as he said it, and Arthur wondered who the girl was. Merlin obviously regretted this, and his face was showing much more sorrow that it had before. The next sentence stopped Arthur's thoughts all together.

"And I…I poisoned her – I gave her Hemlock."

"I tried to kill Morgana."

Arthur's thoughts ground to a halt. Merlin had _poisoned_ Morgana? He knew his manservant had been acting strange around his father's ward, but to poison her? He stood up straighter, feeling fury fill his every thought.

"You _what?_" He growled, not believing it. The other deaths he might have been able to pardon, but to poison Morgana! She was like a sister to Arthur, and he could not forgive Merlin for trying to hurt her. He grabbed the warlock by the collar, yanking him to his feet and slamming him against the wall. "How could you? She was your _friend_! How DARE you!" As he shouted the last sentence, he slammed Merlin against the wall again, feeling furious, needing to hit something. He could still see Morana, pale and not breathing, before Morgause had taken her away – Merlin must have been working with Morgause. Arthur and his father had both been in such anguish over her disappearance, and Merlin had helped that witch abduct her? All of the times he had tried to encourage Arthur, he had probably been laughing at him, knowing he was the one who was causing the pain.

"How many other times have you betrayed me? Tried to take over Camelot? What other harm did you cause?" Arthur was beyond furious now, shouting into Merlin's face, his forearm to the young man's neck. He could hear the guards beginning to run to the cell, but he didn't care. He couldn't believe what Merlin had just told him – He had been a fool for believing he had a friend in his manservant. He had been played.

"I-I…I released the dragon. I had no choice! I promised. Then he attacked Camelot, and my father…"

Arthur couldn't even register what Merlin was saying anymore. The boy had released the dragon? He remembered the attacks, the destroyed homes, the citizens killed, and the wounded men and women. He had lost so many good men to that creature. And it was _Merlin_ who had released it? He punched Merlin in the face, feeling his anger take control. The guards came running into the cell, and he could feel them grabbing at his arms.

"How DARE you! You TRAITOR! LIAR! I wish I had never set eyes on you! You are a murderer and I can't wait to see you burn!" Arthur yelled venomously as the guards pulled him out of the cell, watching Merlin collapse back down to the ground. Arthur was glad to see a bruise already forming on his cheek, and yanked his arms free of the guards.

"Let no one else visit him and tell no one about what just happened. Understand? If I hear about it from anyone…"

He let the threat hang in the air, and saw the guards swallow and nod their heads vigorously. "Understood, Sire." They mumbled, taking a few steps back as Arthur brushed past them. He needed to hit something, and wanted to get to the training fields before one of the castle staff fell victim to his wrath.

He had been a fool to ever believe Merlin was a good man, and now he would never make the same mistake again, he decided resolutely.

~/^\~

A small man in dark robes stood looking into a basin of water. He laughed as he released the spell. "This is going better than even I imagined it could." His voice was quiet and loud at the same time, sounding powerful and threatening. "Soon, Emrys. Soon, you will be in my grasp."


	9. After Effects

**A/N: I do not own Merlin or any characters from the show.**

Merlin had felt the words ramble off his tongue, not able to control what he was saying. _I need to stop. I need to explain. This isn't how I wanted to tell him – He'll misunderstand!_ But he couldn't, he just kept talking, only answering the questions. As he started telling the stories, he could see the memories. Gaius dead on the ground, Nimueh being struck by lightning, the witchfinder falling from the window, Freya dying in his arms, Morgana's face as she realized he had poisoned her, the young mother crying as her son died from Kilgarrah's attack, Arthur telling him it wasn't his fault – when it was entirely his fault, the kids crying for their lost dad as he and Arthur rode out to find Balinor, his father dying in his arms after saving him – these had all been his fault, had been because of his magic. He couldn't get away from the images erupting through his mind, but could still hear Arthur's voice as he strained for air. "Traitor! Liar! Murderer! …I can't _wait_ to see you burn!" Arthur hated him and was strangling him…he couldn't breathe.

_No, no! I didn't want to…I had to! I had to protect you…_

Merlin felt himself fall to the ground as the pressure on his neck released, curling himself into a ball. He still couldn't breathe and the images just danced again and again in his mind. _I'm sorry, I didn't want to…I just wanted to help. I just wanted to protect you…_

~/^\~

Leon had finally returned to his chambers, exhausted. He had taken Merlin to the dungeons, checked on Sir Montague – the brave knight had been treated and was resting now, then confirmed the horses had been taken care of before making his way across the castle to his quarters.

As he walked past the training grounds, he heard a crash come from the armory. He stopped, debating whether or not to investigate it – he really wanted to go back to his bed. He looked around the field, and seeing no other knights had turned to the armory, he sighed and started making his way over.

Before he could get there, the door crashed open loudly, and Arthur came out carrying a mace and sword. His face was set in a stony mask, and his normally bright eyes were dark, burning with such a furious hatred that Leon took a step back. He had known the young prince a long time, had trained with him since he was a young boy, and had never seen him this angry.

He watched as the knights around the field looked at Arthur, then hurried from the field. Arthur had been pretty bad to train with ever since Morgana was taken by Morgause, but this – If someone trained with Arthur when he was like this, they could end up seriously injured. Leon would have laughed about how quickly the entire yard emptied out, but the look on Arthur's face stopped him. He didn't think anyone would be able to laugh after seeing a face like that.

He sighed and turned to leave as the sound of a mace pounding into a dummy echoed around the empty yard. Knowing Arthur, this could last hours.

Now that he was back in his chambers, he stripped off the weighty chainmail, laying it over a chair on his way to the bed. He sat down and leaned back into the bed, instantly falling asleep with his legs still hanging off the edge of the bed.

~/^\~

Gwen had been on the other side of the castle, cleaning the guest rooms when the hunting party had returned. She finished and walked back towards the kitchen, knowing they would need help preparing for supper. The servants she passed in the halls seemed tense, and when she entered the kitchen she was shocked to hear many of the servants talking about Merlin and an attack on the hunting party.

"What happened?" She asked, still very confused. "The King's hunting party has already returned?"

Many of the servants around her stopped talking, then quickly began explaining what had happened when they realized she had not heard any of the latest news.

"Apparently that boy that served the prince – Merlin – was a sorcerer!"

"And he attacked the king and prince while they were on the trip…He enchanted them, and both men are injured!" Nelly jumped in, cutting off the other man who had started the explanation.

_Merlin was a sorcerer? There's no way! Uther must just be jumping to conclusions again. Arthur will sort this out. _Gwen was trying to calm herself down as worry for her friend rose.

"That's not all, either." Nelly continued the story in a somewhat more serious voice. "The prince went down to the dungeons to question the sorcerer – can you believe it? A sorcerer serving the prince! – Anyway, the prince went down to talk to him, and when he came out he looked murderous. He went straight to the training fields, and has already broken a training dummy. The guards who were there looked terrified when they changed shift and wouldn't tell anyone what happened. And no one is allowed down other than the guards, from order of the prince."

"Who knows what that boy did to make the prince so angry." People were jumping in to the conversation, each wanting to be part of the gossip.

Gwen felt her hopes drop as they said that…It couldn't be…Merlin couldn't be a sorcerer. He was goofy, cheerful, helpful, _not evil_, make-you-laugh Merlin. She walked determinedly from the kitchens, needing to find out the truth for herself. Even if Merlin _did_ know a spell or two, there must be some mistake – He would never attack Arthur or Uther! She had spoken with him enough times to know his loyalty to Arthur was not some small, changeable thing. He would willingly give his life for Arthur – this was not as much from their talks as what his actions had shown. He had drunk poison for Arthur, for heaven's sake. What kind of man does that only to attack the man he saved later on?

When she was still a ways from the training field, she could hear the loud bangs showing someone was hitting something – _hard_. As she peered around the corner, she gasped. Nelly had been right. Arthur looked furious. Even Gwen was afraid to approach him like this. She had to find Gaius. He would know what to do.

~/^\~

When she came running into Gaius's chambers, she saw him arranging his herbs, moving slower than usual, and his face seemed so full of sorrow that she knew he didn't know what to do any more than she did.

"Gaius?" She gently called the older man's name, but he still jumped, dropping a bottle.

"Gwen? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in. Are you hurt?" He looked her up and down, but she could tell his mind was still elsewhere.

"No, Gaius. I'm fine. I heard about Merlin, and Arthur is at the training yards and seems livid, and they said Uther was injured and they think Merlin's been practicing magic, and that he caused the attack, and I…I – I don't know…I hoped you could tell me what happened?"

Gaius sighed, looking like he had aged ten years in a few hours. "Sit down, Gwen. I'll let you know everything I know about what happened, but you must promise me you will not interrupt me or tell anyone else what I am about to say – No one must hear this. Understand?"

Gwen nodded, watching as Gaius poured the two of them some tea, closed the door, and came to join her.

"Merlin does have magic." Gwen gasped, opening her mouth to ask the multitude of questions that came to mind, but when Gaius raised his eyebrow, she snapped her mouth shut, waiting for him to continue.

"He did not practice it, though, he was born with it. It was not a choice any more than the color of his eyes." Gwen was amazed as she sat listening to story after story of Merlin saving Arthur and the whole of Camelot. Gaius left some stories out, trying to respect Merlin's privacy, but he told enough for Gwen to understand that whatever else happened or whatever else she was told, Merlin was always loyal to Arthur. She barely drank any of her tea, hanging on Gaius's every word as she learned of all Merlin was and all he had done. He had times that he seemed wise, but she had no clue he had this much responsibility on his shoulders. She was surprised at first, hurt that he had not told her. She had always considered them friends. After what happened with her father, though, she understood his secrecy. Knowing him, he did not want her put in danger. Arthur needed to hear this, but having seen him earlier that day, she knew he would not listen to what was being said – even if he heard the stories.

"I don't exactly know what happened today. The best I can assume is they were attacked, and Merlin was seen performing magic when he defended them – leading everyone to believe he was the attacker. None of those who were there seemed willing to speak yet, so I am still unsure though."

Gwen could see how worried Gaius was, and she was worried also. Merlin had risked so much, they couldn't execute him.

"We will find a way to save him, Gaius. I know we will." She put a hand comfortingly on his arm, trying to comfort herself just as much as she was trying to comfort Gaius. They sat together like that for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts, before Gwen got up to return to her chores. She had a lot to think about, and knew Gaius would need some time alone.

~/^\~

Gaius had not been allowed to see his ward, and he was very worried. Gwen had told him about Arthur training out in the field, and he had gone to check on the young man soon after she left. He looked furious, but was beginning to calm down when Gaius approached. Gaius could see the wound in his side was bleeding again, but Arthur showed no acknowledgement of it. He just kept beating at the dummy with his sword, letting all his rage out. Finally, his features seemed to calm, going from furious to exhausted to empty. When he seemed to have expended all of his energy, Gaius walked over and took the young man by the shoulders, guiding him back to his chambers. At first, Arthur tried to shrug Gaius off, but then he just allowed himself to be led to his bed and sat down.

As Gaius unwrapped the wound, Arthur just stared off into space.

"How could he, Gaius? How could he lie all this time? How could he hurt us like that?" When Arthur finally spoke, it was in such a broken voice that Gaius couldn't help but pull the young prince into an embrace. His heart broke, knowing that the two young men's friendship would never be the same – if they both made it through this.

"I'm sure there is an explanation, Sire. Perhaps there was more to be told." Gaius wanted so badly to just tell Arthur all that Merlin had done, all he had sacrificed, but he knew he couldn't. He could be locked up for knowingly harboring a sorcerer, and he wouldn't be any help to anyone like that.

"For now, sire, you need rest. You are injured and exhausted. All will sort itself out eventually…"

He laid the prince back into the covers, having finished redressing the wound on his side. The prince promptly fell asleep, showing how tired he really was. Gaius sighed, wishing again that he could see Merlin - that he could talk to the boy who was like a son to him. He quietly exited the prince's room, asking a guard to stay at the door and alert him when the prince woke, before heading back to his chambers.

They were eerily quiet, the realization that Merlin would not return making them seem huge and empty. He had to keep up hope, Gaius thought. As he thought it, though, he walked to Merlin's room, finding the boy's bed made for once. He smiled sadly, thinking of the lecture he had given Merlin yesterday about cleanliness. He sat down, hopelessness threatening to overwhelm him. He had to find a way to solve this – to make Arthur see the truth. He let out a sigh that was half a sob, the tears flowing down his cheeks unnoticed.


	10. Taken

**A/N: I do not own merlin**. **Enjoy the chapter...**

Merlin woke to darkness and tried to sit up. He immediately regretted it when he felt pain explode across the back of his head and saw stars dance across his vision. He laid back down, trying to figure out what had happened…Arthur had given him some potion, then started asking him questions. The potion must have been something used in interrogations, because Merlin couldn't remember too much of what he had told Arthur. He remembered Arthur hitting him and yelling at him, so it couldn't have been good. He remembered what Arthur had yelled, and brought his hands up to his face with a groan. Arthur hated him now. Whatever he had said, it apparently wasn't "I saved your royal backside more times than you could ever hope to keep track of. Oh, and I have saved Camelot and your father multiple times, too!"

Merlin slowly sat up, finding it didn't hurt as much as it had earlier. He didn't get dizzy, though he still felt incredibly sore. He had a splitting headache, and was glad it seemed to be night. He didn't think he could take any light right now. He felt something on his face and reached up, coming away with flecks of dried blood on his hand. Arthur must have been really mad. He leaned his head against the wall, the cool stone feeling good against the bumps on the back of his head. He didn't know how he was going to get out of this one. Arthur had been his one real hope, and that was gone now.

He tried to remember what had happened, but all he could see was pictures of the regrets he had – Nimueh dying, Morgana poisoned, the dragon ravaging Camelot. He tried to block the images and think about something else, anything else.

Just as he was starting to relax again, he felt a wind in the cell, and opened his eyes. There was a tall man there, wearing a dark gray cloak with the hood up. Merlin could barely see long, dark hair with wisps of gray through it and a smile with bright gold eyes above it. The gold disappeared, leaving under the hood completely dark.

"So, Emrys. Where is your great power now?" The man taunted Merlin, leaning toward him. Merlin realized the voice was the same one he had heard in his mind during the attack. This was the sorcerer responsible for all of this! He decided the best response would be a glare, though it didn't seem effective.

"Hmm. I see your friends did not treat you too well, even after you saved them. Tsk tsk, they should treat their rescuers better. I would treat you much better," he said, earning another glare from Merlin. "You only have to come with me and give me a few…details to help me."

"I'll never help you!" Merlin spat back, wishing with all his might he had his magic so he could blast this man out of the cell.

"Oh, you will help me. The question is whether you will do so willingly or not. You see, everyone else has abandoned you. You will come with me, because otherwise you will die, murdered by those you have been protecting – leaving your dear Camelot without a hope against all those big, bad magical attacks."

Merlin kept silent, knowing what the man said was the truth. He could not fight back in the state he was in, and this man obviously wanted something from him. Merlin couldn't think of anything he could do to protect himself, and he knew the guards would not stand a chance against this man – Slaum was what he had called himself before. As the man approached him, Merlin scrambled back, but found he couldn't move very quickly with the shackles on his wrists.

"Get away! I won't help you…Ever!" Merlin tried to sound sure of himself and commanding, but it came out more pleading than commanding. He heard the guards beginning to walk towards his cell, but couldn't worry about them as Slaum suddenly grabbed his arm.

Merlin felt his magic instinctively rise to push the man away, but then the shackles took effect and the pain racked his body, making his magic shrink back and causing Merlin to curl into himself, gasping for air.

"Ah, Emrys." The man sounded almost pitying, but the contempt in his voice was clear as he taunted Merlin. "Your prince has done me such a great service by making you defenseless. You have so much yet to learn. I can be very…_Persuasive_ when I want something. You will help me destroy your little prince, and Camelot with him!"

The wind picked up around Merlin, and he couldn't catch his breath. He heard the guards beginning to run, and then everything went dark.

~/^\~

Arthur woke to the sound of the alarm bell echoing through the castle. He shot up, instantly awake. Looking around, he realized he was in his room and it was night already. He remembered Gaius taking him back to his chambers and that he had almost cried to the old friend. He had been so lost. Merlin and Morgana had been two of the people who didn't care about what other people thought – they told him when he was in the wrong, teased him mercilessly, and he knew when they praised him it was truly deserved. Now he found one had been lying to him, was a murderer, and had even tried to kill Morgana – who had now disappeared.

Arthur shook his head as he finished pulling his shirt on and grabbed his sword. He was a prince. He was certainly not going to cry over a sorcerer that had lied to them for so long – he was done with thinking of that traitor.

He ran out the door, clearing his mind once and for all. He had a job to do. Seeing a guard run past at the end of the hall, he called out to him.

"Wait! You there, What's going on?"

The guard turned around, coming to talk to him.

"Sire." He bowed breathlessly before continuing. "The sorcerer you and your father brought back has escaped, Sir."

Arthur didn't say anything at first, just staring at the young man in front of him. _Merlin escaped? How on earth did he get out of those shackles?_ Arthur swore under his breath, then hurried towards his Father's chambers. He met Leon on the way, who immediately fell in step with his prince.

"You heard?" Leon glanced at Arthur, noticing he looked a little better than before – not by much, though.

"Yes. I need you to gather the knights and begin searching the grounds. Send a group to my father's chambers – I will join you in the search once I know he is safe."

Leon responded with a quick "Yes Sire" before turning to run towards the knight's quarters and carry out the prince's orders.

Arthur broke into a run as he approached his father's chambers. _You better not be trying anything Merlin, or I swear I will run you through myself._


	11. Dreams

**A/N: I do not own Merlin or any characters from the show.**

"_MERLIN!"_

_Arthur walked into the armory, finally finding his wayward manservant sitting on the ground shining a piece of armor. Exasperated, Arthur demanded, "Where have you been?"_

"_Right here, shining your royal armor for the tournament tomorrow. Where else would I be?" Merlin quipped playfully._

_Helping me get ready for the banquet tonight." Arthur said, expecting to see a sheepish grin spread across the young man's face when he realized how late it was. Instead he was shocked to see the young man smirk, his eyes flashing gold as he stood up. _

_"Don't worry. You don't need to get ready. There isn't going to be a banquet tonight – not one you'll be attending." Merlin said, his voice sinister and threatening. Arthur stood there, unable to move, as Merlin's eyes swirled gold once more. All the swords in the armory slowly began to float, eventually rotating to point at the prince. _

_Arthur stood staring at Merlin, horrified. "Why are you doing this? I thought we were friends! Don't do this Merlin. Please."_

_Merlin simply stared back at him, eyes slowing growing brighter as he voiced his reply. _

"_We were never friends."_

_His eyes flared, sending the swords hurtling towards Arthur as a dragon roared in the background._

Arthur jerked up, panting and thrashing in a cold sweat before realizing where he was.

His chambers were quiet, the dying embers of a fire glowing across the room from him. The windows were open, letting in a chilly breeze. Otherwise, the room was dark and quiet. Arthur ran his hand through his hair, trying to slow his breathing.

It had been three days since Merlin had disappeared from the dungeons. Arthur and his knights had searched the entire citadel, spreading out into the lower town and surrounding villages, but there had been no trace of the escaped sorcerer.

Arthur was exhausted. He spent the days out hunting for any sign of magic, and thoughts of Merlin plagued his thoughts and dreams and night. Many of his dreams were like the one he had just woken from – They always started with Merlin being his old self. He would be laughing, teasing with Arthur and sometimes Morgana. Then his eyes would flash gold and Arthur wouldn't be able to move. He had had to watch as Merlin forced Morgana to drink poison, then ordered a dragon to attack Camelot. The dream usually ended with Merlin trying to attack Arthur or his father. Just as he was about to die, Arthur would wake up in a cold sweat.

Arthur got out of bed to stoke the fire, knowing from experience that he would not be able to sleep for at least another hour. Padding silently over to get a new log, his thoughts turned again to the events of the last few days.

This was how he spent had spent the past few nights; restless sleep plagued by nightmares, waking in a cold sweat, staring at the fire while his thoughts chased each other in never-ending circles.

Merlin had hung back in the group and been very quiet. Arthur had thought the serving boy was just giving him and father room, but was he watching and planning? He had been making the stew right before the fire had surrounded them, so could he have started it? Arthur had turned from the servant when it had started, so he hadn't seen. Leon had said that he was facing away, though. _I need to talk to Leon tomorrow and find out what happened in more detail_ He decided.

He thought of afterward, when he and his father had seen the gold eyes. He had been so shocked to see Merlin – goofy, clumsy, friendly merlin – with gold glowing in his eyes. His shock had slowly melted to anger: Anger that he had been fooled, anger that Merlin had broken the law, anger that he had not figured it out, anger at the situation. Then he had felt sad as he realized that Merlin had been lying to him – hadn't trusted him, that he had broken the law and had to be punished, and that he might have been the one responsible for the attack. That thought made him angry, and before he could think about it his father shouted for the knights to seize him.

Merlin had panicked then, saying it wasn't what they thought. The young man had said he was helping. Arthur wished now he had asked what he meant by that. How had Merlin been helping? Had he stopped the attack?

But what about everything he told Arthur after that, when he had been given the truth potion? Arthur could understand some of the other things Merlin had told him – Arthur had killed people in his role as prince, and understood the need for it when fighting or protecting something. _But to poison Morgana and loose a dragon on Camelot? What could be the reasons for that? Did something change – did his magic corrupt him? Was that why he also attacked us? But then why would he say he was helping?_

Arthur's thoughts ran in circles all night, until he finally fell into a restless sleep right before the sun came up.

~/^\~

Arthur woke up slowly, not having dreamt the last time he fell asleep. Looking at how high the sun was in the sky, he decided it was probably midmorning. Getting out of bed, he got dressed – someone had laid out an outfit for him and set his breakfast on the table – then headed out the door, grabbing a piece of bread and a sausage on the way out.

Making his way to the throne room, he went the long way. First, he walked through the courtyard to see if there were any search parties returning. After that, he went through the training yards to check on the knights and finish his breakfast. After a few minutes there, he finally walked to the throne room. He was set to depart on another search this afternoon, and wanted to discuss the plan with his father.

Entering the throne room, he found his father in discussion with Adsedo, a counselor, about the search. He entered quietly, approaching them slowly to allow them time to finish their discussion and acknowledge him.

"Arthur!" Uther turned to his son at a break in the conversation "Good to see you up! We have been discussing the locations left to search and possible resources. I would value your opinion."

Arthur smiled, explaining the areas yet to search, the results so far, and possible locations to be re-examined.

Uther watched his son throughout the report, concerned. Arthur did a good job of hiding it, but he knew his son was tired. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he misspoke twice during the report he gave. He seemed like he was still doing fine, but the betrayal of his manservant had hit him harder than Uther had expected. _The boy is gone and still causing trouble_, he thought angrily.

After Arthur finished the report, Adsedo stepped away to get a map.

"I'm sorry to be late, father. I -" Arthur was cut off before he could finish his sentence.

"It is not of any consequence. You are here now and that is what matters."

"Thank you, Sire. I will be riding out with Sirs Radgear, Vidor, Caridoc, and Bertrand at noon. Is there anything you require of me before I prepare to leave?"

"No, that will be all. Thank you. "

Having been dismissed, Arthur turned to leave, already thinking of the things he would need to get ready.

"Arthur" His father called out quietly, making him turn. "Be careful, we don't know how powerful he is."

Arthur smiled and turned to leave, knowing it was his father's way of showing concern without showing weakness. "Of course, Father."

Uther watched him leave, the worry seeming to calm some. Of course his son would be careful. He was the best warrior in the kingdom, and a fantastic huntsman. No mere sorcerer – especially a servant – would defeat him.

Still, the worry would not quite disappear. Arthur had been wounded in the attack, but he had also been betrayed by someone close to him. Uther would not let the traitor hurt is son any more. He had already lost two family members to sorcery, and would not let that servant destroy Arthur.


	12. Punishment

**A/N: I don't own Merlin, Warning for violence.**

Merlin felt himself slowly return to consciousness. He was sore all over, and had a piercing headache. _This can't become a habit_ he thought, trying to shift positions. Only then did he realize that his hands were chained above his head. Opening his eyes, he looked around to try to figure out his situation.

He was in a different cell, sitting on some hay and leaning against the wall. It was dark, some light filtering through the bars on the door to the cell. It was quiet except or the occasional skitter of a rat or mouse.

He was chained to the wall opposite the door, the shackles still limiting his magic. He could feel it more and more as his magic shrank from the shackles. Finally managing to reposition himself, he realized his wrists and shoulders were the sorest, and the headache would not go away. He tried to stand and turn around, so his arms would be in front of him, taking the weight off his wrists. The chains and headache didn't help, but he eventually got it on the third try.

_Great, now what?_ He thought, having completed the maneuver. The change in position had lessened the pain in his arms, but now he was standing - which only made his headache worse – and facing away from the door.

The quiet left him with nothing to do but think about the events of the past day, trying to find anything that could help him.

~/^\~

He had sat down again by the time he heard footsteps approaching. Pulling himself up so he was sitting straighter, he waited for them to get closer.

The footsteps finally stopped outside the door and a torch was thrust up to the bars, making him squint at the sudden light.

"He's awake." Merlin heard a gruff voice announce.

"Open the door" Ordered another voice, making Merlin stifle a groan. He'd heard the voice only twice before, but both times he'd been knocked out, waking with a horrible headache and chained in a dungeon. There was no doubt about it, the voice belonged to Slaum; the sorcerer that started all this.

The door slowly opened, creaking as it showed three men standing in the light from the torch: Slaum and two thugs merlin had never seen before.

"Good morning!" The sorcerer boomed, making Merlin wince at the loudness of his voice. "I hope you enjoyed your accommodations over the night." Merlin just glared in response to the smirk spreading across the man's face.

"No, actually, not as much as I could have. Mind if I make a few suggestions? A bed perhaps?" Merlin replied sarcastically, wanting to show the man that he wasn't afraid – not too much, at least.

"I'm sorry to hear that," The sorcerer replied, earning a snort from Merlin. The man looked anything but sorry. "We have much better…chambers available, but first, I need something from you."

"I told you before; I'll never tell you anything." Merlin said, trying to keep his voice steady as the fear began to grow.

"Then just consider this your punishment for stopping my spell yesterday." Slaum said, waving the two brutes forward.

Merlin pressed himself back into the wall, the fear now springing up, making his heart race. He couldn't say anything to stop the two men, so he tried to make himself as small as possible when the first blow connected.

His arms were still chained above his head, making it impossible to shield his chest or stomach from the fists. All he could do was pull them in front of his face, shielding his head from the blows. He couldn't help the whimpers that escaped as the men switched to kicking him, apparently deciding it was easier. Merlin tried to pull his legs up to shield his stomach, but a kick to his shin made him cry out, wishing with all his might he could use his magic to push the men away.

The blows continued to rain down, until an especially hard kick to his side made a resounding _crack_ and pulled a scream from his throat. He almost blacked out again, the pain was so intense.

The two attackers stepped back at a silent signal from their leader, leaving Merlin hanging limply from the wall as he tried to catch his breath without moving the broken rib.

Slaum came and squatted in front of Merlin so he could see his eyes.

"I believe I told you before. I can be very persuasive, and I _will_ get what I want eventually – you just decide how much pain you experience before you tell me."

Standing to leave, he said one more thing before leaving Merlin to the pain and darkness. "I'll be back tonight with questions, and I expect answers. If I don't get them – well, you'll see my 'punishment' today was light."

The two thus followed him out of the cell, clanging the door and taking the light with them. Merlin sat in the complete darkness, trying to fight the pain and helplessness that threatened to overwhelm him.

_It'll be OK. I'll get out of here, I just can't tell him anything. I can't betray Arthur._

_Why not?_ Another part of him whispered _It's not like he'll come save you. He knows you're a sorcerer. He hates you now._

_No! no…he doesn't. he can't. I will get out. I have to…_

Merlin tried to stop the discouraging thoughts storming his mind, knowing he had to hold on to some fragment of hope. Stopping those thoughts left him with only the pain to concentrate on, though. Soon, he receded into the darkness of his mind to escape the pain. He had a feeling tonight would come too soon.


	13. Remembering

**A/N: I do not own Merlin.**

He was right.

That night came way too quickly.

Merlin woke to the sound of the cell door groaning open, adding his own groan as his body protested the abuse it had been put though.

There was only one hoodlum with Slaum this time, making Merlin feel a little relieved - especially at the sight of the plate of food in the man's hand. As he looked over to Slaum, though, the relief turned to horror.

_Nononono,_ He thought upon seeing the whip in the sorcerer's hand. _Please, no._

Slaum smiled at the horror that flashed across the young warlock's face. _Good._ He thought. _This will make him talk faster._

"You have a choice, Emrys. Tell me what I want to know and you get to eat." At this, he waved at the plate of mouth-watering meat, cheese, and bread. "However, if you do not answer or your answers are unsatisfactory, you get punished." At this, he held up the whip he held in his hand.

Merlin just set his jaw, his eyes going between Slaum's greedy expression and the plate of food. He knew he couldn't tell the sorcerer anything. Even if Arthur had betrayed him, he couldn't betray his friends in Camelot – Gaius, Gwen, Leon, and everyone else would suffer. Even if Arthur hated him now, he didn't deserve whatever Slaum had planned.

Slaum looked him up and down, the nodded to the man with him. Merlin tensed as the man approached, though the man just put a piece of bread to Merlin's mouth. He kept his mouth shut, glaring over the man's shoulder at Slaum, who still stood by the door. His stomach was clenching in hunger, crying out for the food he had not realized he wanted so badly. He had only eaten an apple since the night before the hunt, and was starving.

Saum chuckled, seeing the hesitation on Merlin's face. "Don't worry; it's not poisoned or anything. You'll die if you don't eat anything, and you are of no use to me dead."

Merlin hesitated only a moment more before opening his mouth, allowing the man to feed him and offer him a glass of foul-tasting water. It was embarrassing at first, but the hunger was louder than his pride, and too soon the piece of bread was gone, leaving Merlin hungrier than he had been before.

The hoodlum stepped back, leaving Merlin glaring at his captor. The tension continued to build as the silence stretched on, Merlin refusing to break his gaze. Finally Slaum let out a sigh, and lifted his hand toward Merlin.

Merlin didn't have time to react – not that he could have done anything – before Slaum's eyes flashed gold and the chains holding him jerked, lifting higher and higher above his head, and turning him around as they rose through the air. He couldn't help the surprised yelp that escaped his lips as his arms stretched upwards, pulling at his side and the broken bone. He scrambled to get his legs under him, barely able to reach the ground, as the chains anchored into the ceiling.

Merlin heard shuffling footsteps from behind him, and tensed as they got closer. Suddenly his shirt was falling to the sides, his back exposed to the cold air. The hoodlum must have cut his shirt. _This is definitely not looking good._ Barely seconds after he finished the thought, Slaum's repulsive voice came from behind him.

"What is the best way into Camelot?"

"The main gate" Merlin answered, then heard the whip whistle through the air behind him. He gasped and arched his back when he felt the first lash slice through his skin, causing a sharp burning pain to shoot up and down his back. He could already feel the blood dripping down from the cut, carving a crimson trail down his back, before being soaked into the waistline of his pants.

So began the cruel cycle: Slaum would ask a question; wanting to know some detail about Arthur, Uther, or Camelot; Merlin would offer a sarcastic answer or, more frequently as time went on, not answer at all. As question after question about schedules, security, locations, and weaknesses was left unanswered, the stripes on Merlin back became more and more numerous. He couldn't hold back the screams that eventually faded into whimpers as each hit landed, making another mark on his back and shooting more pain through his senses. Eventually, Merlin's back was covered in bright red streaks, the waist of his pants turning a darker brown from the blood soaking into it. Now all he could do was hang limply from the chains, not having the strength to give any witty retorts to the questions asked.

A few of the blows had curled around his side, occasionally hitting the rib that was now covered with a dark purple bruise, which was growing with each impact.

Finally, hoping to stall another excruciating lash, Merlin hoarsely whispered "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you won't tell me what I want to know. It is in your power to stop this, Emrys. Just join me and tell me what I need." Slaum answered, pausing before beginning the next question.

"No, I mean why are trying to attack Camelot." Merlin croaked, though his voice seemed to be gaining strength. "If you know that I am Emrys, then you must know that Arthur is the Once and Future King. Why attack if the prophecy says that he will return magic to Camelot?"

"Because it is taking too long. I will _not_ stand by and watch as more and more innocent people are murdered by the tyrant, waiting for him to die so his son can take the throne." Slaum's voice had almost cracked as he mentioned innocents being murdered, though now it was filled with contempt. "Besides, his son shares his views on magic. Isn't his reaction to your magic proof of that?"

"No! You're wrong. His mind is changing, it just takes time and each magical attack on Camelot convinces him that his father is right. He will never learn that magic can be good if all he sees it used for is…is this! He has only ever seen it hurt people, so of course he believes that it is evil." By now, Merlin had to catch his breath. He had spoken very heatedly, and his side was protesting the movement. Also, his memories of what had happened in the cell with Arthur were still hazy, so he didn't know how to argue back the point that Slaum had made about Arthur's reaction.

"He is blind!" Another mumbled word, and Merlin found himself spun around, the chains forcing him to turn so he faced the sorcerer who was arguing with him. "You have been protecting him, and even saved him when I attacked. How does he repay you? Forces you to drink a truth serum, then calls you a murderer and liar, strangles and hits you, and practically sentences you to burn! You should be grateful I am offering you a chance to escape him. He will never be grateful – he is an ungrateful, hateful Pendragon!" Merlin's captor was shouting now, the contempt clear in his voice as he spat out the word 'Pendragon'.

Merlin, though, was stuck on what he had said before. As the shouted words brought images to his mind, he remembered with a shock everything that Arthur had yelled at him. His eyes had been full of hate; he had truly meant it when he called Merlin a murderer. _He said he wanted to see me burn._ Merlin felt the small hope he had been holding on to flicker out. Arthur hated him. Arthur _hated_ him. He thought Merlin was a murderer, having poisoned Morgana and released the dragon.

_No. nonononono. He can't. Please. Please, no._ Merlin could now only hear Arthur's shouted words, contempt in his voice as he swung a fist at Merlin. Slaum was forgotten, the images playing themselves over and over in his mind. He was beginning to hyperventilate, his broken rib forgotten as his heart screamed in hurt.

Seeing the young warlock begin to panic, Slaum realized he had forgotten the harsh treatment the prince had given him, and his voice softened to a persuasive tone. "I see you remember his betrayal now. Perhaps tomorrow you will be more open to my offer. Think well, Emrys. Your prince is no longer on your side."

Another muttered spell and the chains holding Merlin to the ceiling released, dropping the panicked young man to the ground. The plate of food was left forgotten on the ground as the door slammed shut, leaving Merlin curled on the ground, trying to block the haunting words echoing around his mind: _Can't wait to see you burn…Liar…Traitor...Murder!...Can't wait to see you burn!_


	14. Breaking

**A/N: I still don't own Merlin.**

Merlin's sleep that night could hardly be called sleep. It was plagued with dreams of Arthur watching, laughing, as Merlin was sentenced to be burned at the stake. Sometimes Merlin would save Arthur from the flames, only to be trapped as Arthur told him he was a murderer and he deserved it. He always woke, thrashing, only to freeze as he realized the pain was not from fire, but from the injuries of the interrogation.

Finally, he could not fall back asleep, fearing the way Arthur would look in his dreams. He couldn't take it and instead resolved to find a way out, to find a way to explain himself to Arthur. He would not be judged without being able to offer a full explanation – the prat needed to hear his side of the story.

His fighting spirit somewhat renewed, Merlin looked about the room, eager to find some way to escape. He was no longer chained to the wall, allowing him to explore the cell more. It was not much. He nibbled at the food left by the door, but soon felt nauseous and had to stop. Hay on the ground was hardly any comfort, but he searched through it hoping to find something – _anything_ – that could help him. His hand brushed against something sharp, cutting his finger and making him draw his hand back.

More carefully now, he swept the hay out of the way to reveal a blade, apparently broken off of a small dagger. Merlin turned it over, trying to see what he could do with it. It was about the size of his palm, maybe a little longer. It was slanted at the bottom, where the hilt would have been. The end was dull, scratched to a rough, round, tip. The sides of the blade were rusted, though the end where it had been broken was still sharp – the blood from Merlin's finger glistened on it, as if proving that it was still dangerous.

_OK, now what? Even if I get out of this cell, these shackles are still limiting my magic. I'm in no condition to walk back to Camelot – if I can even return to Camelot. Does this even help me?_

Merlin walked over to the door, trying to fit the blade into the lock. It didn't fit, the edge was too rounded. Looking for hinges, he found that they were on the other side of the door, making breaking them impossible. Next, trying to break his shackles with the blade proved undoable as well. He simply managed to earn a few more scratches around his wrists, which he now noticed were bloody from holding all of his weight during the whipping.

Sinking to the ground, his hope slowly fading again, his thoughts once more turned to the last time he had seen Arthur. Arthur detested him now – he knew that he had released the dragon, he knew – The dragon! Merlin had not even thought to try to contact Kilgarrah since he had been discovered. Reaching his mind out as he searched for the familiar yet foreign mind of the great beast, Merlin snarled the words to call the dragon to him.

"_O drakon, e mala soi ftengometh tesd'hup anankes! Erkheo!"_

Panic starting to rise, he realized he didn't feel the echo that meant the dragon had felt his summons.

"_O drakon, e mala soi ftengometh tesd'hup anankes! Erkheo!"_

More frantically, he searched for the mental connection that he had felt when he spoke to the dragon before. _No, It has to work. It has to! "O drakon, e mala soi ftengometh tesd'hup anankes! Erkheo!"_

Not worried about being discovered now, he was roaring at the top of his lungs. Now he really felt like throwing up. Kilgarrah had been his last hope, and now he couldn't even reach the dragon. Were the shackles limiting him? Why was it not working? Now he really wished he had had more time with his father. The hurried footsteps resounding down the hall made Merlin hastily wipe away the tears that were beginning to blur his vision. He had to hold on. He still had the blade. He had to hold on. The door swung open, revealing Slaum, alone this time.

"Did you really think I would not take precautions against you calling the dragon? This is a dungeon built during the time of the old religion, used to hold magical creatures. The spells have weakened greatly, but it is enough to stop you from communicating with other creatures of magic." Here the sorcerer paused, looking Merlin up and down. "Have you decided to join me yet? It will make this all go away. I can heal your injuries and provide you with the best of everything – you will never have to serve anyone again." Slaum was trying to sound sorry for Merlin, but was using the sickening voice so many of the lords used when trying to impress the king or flatter him into doing something, his eyes as greedy as those same lords.

"I won't betray my friends. You won't break me – I will not tell you _anything_." Merlin was relieved his voice didn't betray that he was feeling almost broken now - he had to look strong, at least.

Slaum's eyes narrowed as he hissed "Don't challenge me boy – you may be the great Emrys, but your 'Once and Future King' has made you unable to use your gifts. I will break you, and it will be because of his help."

Spinning, he stormed out of the cell, the door magically slamming shut behind him. Once the footsteps were well down the hall, Merlin allowed himself to shrink to the ground, his brave mask crumbling. He hurt all over, though he had tried to ignore it and he was trapped, with no hope of escaping. Even if he did escape, he couldn't return to Camelot, and Uther would hunt him to Ealdor – he couldn't put his mother at risk like that.

Slaum was right.

Merlin was breaking, and he didn't know how much longer he could hold himself together.


	15. Sparring

**A/N: I don't own Merlin**

Arthur was training when Leon's hunting party returned. Leon sent his horse with one of the stable boys, then approached the field, hearing the familiar sound of metal clashing on metal. Turning the corner, the field came into view and Leon's attention was drawn to the circle of knights in the center of the yard. There were shouts and yells coming from the group, and Leon recognized calls of "Get Him!" and "Come on, Edward!" He saw Arthur flash in and out of his line of vision, mostly blocked by the knight's broad shoulders, but obviously sparring some of the knights. Shouldering his way in between two knights, Leon watched Arthur duel against Sir Edward and Sir Peter.

A collective groan went up from the knights surrounding the two men as Arthur knocked the sword from Sir Peter's hands, having spun his sword to disarm the young knight. Before he could deal a "killing" blow, Sir Edward jumped forward, slashing at the prince. Arthur dodged the attack, but fell over in his attempt to avoid the dulled training blade. A cheer went up from the surrounding knights as Sir Edward approached the downed price, but quickly changed to a groan as Arthur swept the young man's feet from under him and rolled, picking up his sword. He seemed to steel himself and, tightening his grip on the sword, let out a flurry of blows against Sir Peter, coming from all sides and putting the knight, who had only just rejoined the fight, on the defensive. Arthur faked a slash, then jabbed the knight in the chest, "mortally wounding" him, and disqualifying him from the match. Sir Edward had regained his footing, but quickly lost it – and his sword - again now that he was the only opponent for Arthur. After seeing the blade against the young man's throat, the surrounding crowd of knights dissipated, many mumbling to each other about bets made. Leon grinned, making his way over to the blonde royal sheathing his sword.

"Well done, Sire, though you had me worried for a bit there." Leon could see Arthur looked worn out, not like he usually did at training. The young prince seemed to thrive when he sparred, but today it seemed that it was a job instead of an enjoyable exercise. There were dark circles under the young man's eyes, and Leon thought he knew the cause.

"Thank you, Leon. I am glad to see you are back. Any news?" Arthur was still catching his breath, another sign of how tired he was. Normally he could fight three knights before becoming too out of breath.

"I am afraid I have nothing new to report." Leon began "The woods we searched were empty, and Willowdale was unfruitful as well. The villagers there had yet to even hear of the sorcerer." Leon had had plenty of time to think on the trip, and though he had made up his mind about Merlin, he knew better than to carelessly mention the young servant's name in Camelot.

He had done a lot of thinking on the trip, actually, having taken watch on most nights. The events of the past few days just didn't match up. Merlin had been facing away from the fire when it had roared up, surrounding the King and Arthur. He had been talking to Sir Belfort, and there had been not even a hint of gold in his eyes. And after that, He had treated Sir Montague when he got burned. Leon didn't know much about sorcery, but knew it required some concentration. Being able to treat wounds while maintaining a spell seemed impossible. The fact of his possessing some magical abilities seemed true, and not only because he was seen with his eyes flashing gold – that could be explained other ways. When Leon had taken him to the dungeons and placed the magic-sealing shackles on him, there was undeniably an effect on the young man. He had visibly paled, drawing away as if in physical pain. A shudder went through his body, and he had let out a soft moan. Leon had tried to explain it away as him being cold, him waking up, but it had happened at the exact time the shackles closed around his wrists. Leon had never seen anything like it, and he had helped detain quite a few sorcerers in his years serving under Uther. The young serving boy was a powerful sorcerer, of that he was sure.

His alliance seemed to be with Camelot, though, which still puzzled the experienced knight. He had seen countless men and women corrupted by magic; but the young man, called friend by many of the castle inhabitants, showed no signs of this corruption. He was always willing to help others, frequently spending his days off helping the other servants, making many a maid fall for him - though Leon suspected the boy knew nothing of this. The magic also explained how Merlin had survived so many battles without being harmed – he had faced the dragon, and come away without a scratch! Certainly, the boy was a powerful sorcerer who seemed to have resisted the corruption so prevalent in most magicians. Leon suspected that the sudden resistance to the fire during the attack was due to Merlin, and that the young boy had made his way into the dome of fire to help the two trapped men. What happened inside the ring of fire was still a mystery to all except those who were there, but Leon was sure Merlin had been trying to help – and had gotten in trouble for it.

There was the issue of how he escaped, as well. The shackles had definitely had an effect on the young sorcerer, and Leon didn't think he could have transported himself away from the dungeons, as the guards seemed to think he had. The only conclusion he could draw was that someone wanted to get rid of Arthur and Uther, and Merlin had stopped them. Realizing that Merlin, as the prince's personal manservant, would know many details others could never dream to know…the actual enemy must have taken him, knowing that it would be easy to blame it on the young man escaping. Leon had at first believed that Merlin simply had an accomplice, but it made no sense…why would he wait? Why would the flames disappear when the knights were doing nothing to stop it? Why would Merlin not use magic to escape before being knocked out? Why would his accomplice wait until he was in the dungeons to rescue him? The knights had all been distracted on the ride back – it would have been easy to rescue his partner – if they were partners. No, Leon had decided the boy was helping. He may have possessed magic, but Leon was sure he meant no harm.

How to bring his musing up to Arthur without sounding as if he were committing treason, though? For that was what his thinking was: anyone who dared say magic could be used for good was instantly branded a traitor, and Leon would never betray his king. He realized that Merlin had saved the king, though, and knew that things would be much different had the boy not been there. Seeing Arthur now, he also knew that the 'betrayal' was having an effect on the young prince as well. Merlin and Arthur had been friends, regardless of their differing social status – fighting together and spending all day together could do that to people. Going back to the problem of how to mention his thoughts to Arthur, Leon was surprised when Arthur asked him to spar.

"Join me, Leon. I need another round before I ride for the search, and would like to speak with you."

Picking up his sword again, Arthur led the older knight onto the training field, taking up a solid stance. Leon drew his sword, getting ready for a fierce duel. He had learned not to go easy on the prince, and now fought with all he had when sparring with Arthur.

The two men circled around each other, eyes never leaving the opponent, searching for an opening.

"You wished to speak with me about something?" Leon began, still watching his leader closely, but hoping to throw his rhythm with the question.

"I did." Arthur replied, taking a swing at the knight, hoping to draw him out. It worked, and they traded a few blows before taking a step back to regain the footing. "I want to know more about what happened before the attack. You said you had been watching the sorcerer when it happened." Leon was surprised that the prince had mentioned the touchy topic, and Arthur noticed the change in his posture, jumping forward for a few blows, one of which hit Leon across the shoulder, making him wince at the bruise that would soon decorate his shoulder.

"I was watching," Leon replied, pushing the prince back with some blows of his own. "He was facing away from the fire, speaking to Sir Belfort. He had been nervous, and seemed surprised that the fire exploded like that." Leon had to stop there and catch his breath, having just finished an aggressive exchange of blows with the prince – he might be tired, but he was still one of the best fighters in the entire kingdom.

"And after the fire…exploded?" Arthur asked, also slightly winded. "What then?"

"He helped treat Sir Montague, then left. I didn't notice until later, but I assumed he was finding the horses or something." Leon and Arthur traded a few blows, but were mostly talking now, each watching the other closely for openings that could decide the battle. When Arthur didn't answer, he offered up a bit more information, hoping to say as much as he could while the prince was open to hearing it.

"There was another thing, sire. After he left, I was searching the perimeter of the clearing, and noticed something strange." Here he paused, leaping into Arthur, hoping to throw his off balance. He thought it worked, but Arthur dropped his sword and pulled the knight with him, both of them landing in a heap on the ground. Struggling to get untangled, Leon jumped away and grabbed his sword from where it had fallen, spinning to face a red-faced Arthur, who now had his sword back as well.

"Well, what did you notice that was so strange?" Arthur panted, managing to sound regal even while out of breath.

"The fire no longer burned me, Sire." Leon caught his breath, then saw an opening and lunged toward the prince, spinning his sword as he twirled it around the prince's weapon. "There was still a barrier stopping me from passing through, but something – or someone – was protecting me from the flames."

Arthur pulled his sword away, noticing the move Leon was attempting. "You think it was him." It wasn't a question, more of a statement that Arthur was daring him to challenge. Knowing he was pushing his luck, Leon continued. "Then the fire disappeared – without any of us doing anything that would have broken the spell – and he seemed to be in pain, as if fighting something. Is it not possible that things are not as they seem?" Leon had to go on the defensive as Arthur swung the blade at him during his speaking, seeming to get more angry every second.

"Is it not possible that everything is exactly as it seems?" Arthur sounded very angry now, and Leon decided to be quiet. "I was enchanted, and come out of it to find my _manservant_, having just performed magic, wincing as the enchantment breaks. Is it not possible that something hurt him, breaking his focus and stopping the spell? Is it not possible that he **lied** to us, practiced **magic**, and it **corrupted** him, making him **attack** us?" Each word was punctuated with a harsh strike to Leon's sword, making his arm throb. Arthur could feel his control slipping, and needed to finish the match quickly. He delivered a quick blow, spinning away from a jab that Leon attempted, and swung his sword so it rested against the back of the knight's neck. "Thank you for answering the questions I posed, but I never want to speak of this again." Arthur's voice was low, knowing some of the other knights had been attracted to the fight between the two strongest of their force, and not wanting them to overhear the conversation.

"Sire, you know I would follow you anywhere, and I would gladly lay own my life for you – as I believe many others are willing to do…even if it is not easily seen." Leon knew he was pushing it now, so he bowed, looking to the prince for permission to leave.

"Go rest, Leon. You have had a long trip. Never mention this again, or I will be forced to doubt your loyalties." Arthur turned, going back to his rooms. He had a lot to think about now, and needed to clean up before he left on the hunting trip for the sorcerer.

Leon continued on toward his chambers, also deep in thought. Hopefully some of what he had said had gotten to Arthur. He knew the prince would think about it, and hopefully he would open up to the possibility of things not being what they seem. He had seemed pretty sure of himself, though.

Leon was pulled from his thoughts as he rounded a corner, almost running into a maid. Looking down, helping the girl regain her balance, he was pleasantly surprised to see it was Gwen, carrying a basket full of laundry.

"Leon!" She exclaimed, her features lighting up. "I'm so glad to see you back safely. Did you…did you find anything?" She seemed scared to know the answer, and Leon was relieved she didn't seem as mad as Arthur – that was just how she was, he supposed.

"We found nothing. There have been no traces of him since he disappeared from the dungeons." Leon watched as relief spread across her face, quickly covered by happiness.

"Well, I'm glad to see you back, have you seen Arthur yet?" Noticing the wince that crossed his features, Gwen waited for a reply.

"Yes, I saw him. He is probably not too happy with me now, though. I tried to bring…other possibilities about what happened. He didn't seem too pleased about it." Cursing himself, he realized he had said more than he meant to. Gwen had a way of making people open up to her; she was very easy to talk to.

"Oh, I'm so glad that you think so also! I don't know what I would have done if you also believed…well, I mean, not that it is so important for you specifically to think…not that if someone else thought…"

Leon laughed; he was glad that she still was the same girl he had grown up with. "I know what you mean, Guinevere, not to worry. I'm sure he'll come around eventually."

She looked up at him, eyes flashing with hope and worry. "Do you really think so? He was so mad after he saw him in the dungeons. I don't think it will ever be the same." She seemed thoughtful and sad as she finished, and Leon had to cheer her up.

"It might not be the same, but he will see the truth. You know Arthur, he hates injustice. He will find out the whole story – if we find him."

Gwen nodded, deep in thought. "The whole story…" she murmured mournfully, not meaning to speak out loud. Realizing what she had said, she looked up, and seeing the puzzled expression on the knight's face, she stepped back, trying to escape. "Sorry, I really should take this to the wash…and you need to bathe and rest. I mean…not that you smell bad or anything, I just…you seem -"

Leon chuckled and waved her away, realizing she didn't want to explain the strange musings. She was right. He needed a bath and a good bed.

Finally making his way to his room, he entered before letting out the big sigh he had been holding. He hoped Arthur came around.

For all of their sakes.


	16. Help!

**A/N: I don't own Merlin**

Merlin had been sitting in the cell for a while, staring at the wall. It was still dark, and he had no way of knowing how long it had been since he had been taken from the dungeons. It was always dark, the scant light from a torch barely making its way through the bars on the door. He couldn't sleep, except for a few times that the exhaustion beat out the pain and hunger. The rare times he fell asleep, he woke to nightmares of Arthur sentencing him to be burned at the stake, then standing and laughing as Merlin burned, unable to use his magic because of the shackles.

Slaum had mostly left him alone, coming in every once in a while to question Merlin. He had started using his magic to interrogate Merlin, giving him a jolt of pain whenever he didn't like the answer Merlin gave him – which was all the time. Merlin had taken to just not answering, drawing back into himself each time he heard the footsteps coming down the hall. He found that if he distanced himself, it hurt less. Of course, each 'shock' the sorcerer delivered seemed to try to pull him back to himself, making him gasp and jerk away from the pain.

Merlin hadn't eaten since the meager meal he was given before he was whipped. He had managed to keep that down, and had had one glass of water since then. His lips were parched, his throat dry from lack of water and hoarse from the moans and screams that escaped involuntarily.

Most of his time was spent trying to find a position that gave him the least amount of discomfort. If he rested his back carefully against the stone, the cold seemed to help the pain flaming through his wounds. Merlin suspected at least one of the lashes was infected, though he couldn't see his back and therefore couldn't assess the damage.

When he got sore from sitting too long, Merlin would lie down. He could only lay on his right side, as putting any pressure on his left rib seemed to send pain shooting up and down his entire left side, leaving him gasping for air. After experiencing it the first time, Merlin was very careful to not aggravate the injury.

Hearing footsteps echo down the dark corridor, Merlin scooted toward the back of the cell. There were more sets of footsteps than usual, which couldn't be good. As the sounds got closer, Merlin reached the back wall, the final 'clomp' sounding outside the cell door. Merlin closed his eyes, trying to pull himself away from the situation, as the door scraped open across the stone floor, screeching in protest.

~/^\~

Arthur rode out with his search party at noon, though he was not fully focused on the search. His mind was on what Leon had said during their training match. "Is it not possible that things are not as they seem?"

_You think I don't know that? You think I haven't considered every single possibility? Nothing makes sense! If he was working with someone, why would he stick around? Why not escape instead of trying to explain himself? If he was working by himself – why wait? There have been plenty of better opportunities – ones where he had a lower chance of being caught._ Arthur had thought through all the different ways his manservant could have murdered him – it was scary how easy it was to make a very long list of possibilities. Merlin might be an idiot sometimes, but he was wise at times, and smart enough to try poisoning his wine or putting a snake in his bed before doing something as showy as what had happened in the forest. Arthur couldn't wrap his mind around the idea of Merlin causing the attack in the forest, despite what he had said to Leon. _What about everything else, though. Even if he wasn't responsible for that attack, what about the other crimes he confessed to? He tried to poison Morgana and he released the dragon. What about those? _Arthur knew there was a high chance that because of the truth serum he had given Merlin, he didn't get to hear the full explanation. He found it very hard to find any excuse for poisoning Morgana or releasing the dragon, though.

Arthur and his group had made little progress through the forest, having found only one trail; which ended up leading to a very confused farmer on his way back from Camelot's market day.

Finally noticing the dusk descending over the forest, Arthur called a stop to the search for the night. They were in a clearing near a creek, making it the ideal camping spot. The knights bustled around, setting up for the night by preparing dinner, collecting firewood, and settling the horses. Arthur went to get water, needing to get away from the group. They had noticed the tense atmosphere, and thus most of the day was spent in an awkward silence, none of the usual jokes being passed around while riding.

Arthur filled up the water skins, enjoying the way the cool water ran around his hand. He sat watching the water flow by as long as he could without worrying the knights still in camp. There was something therapeutic in the sounds of water flowing by, and watching the water trickle and gush over the rocks gave Arthur a break from the troubling thoughts that had plagued him for the last three days.

Finally hauling himself up with a sigh, he turned back to the firelight of the camp. This was going to be a difficult search, and he wasn't sure yet how he wanted it to end.

~/^\~

Merlin was paying attention now, not having had this happen before.

For the first time since he had been taken, they were taking him out of his cell. He stumbled along, being dragged by the two thugs who were following his captor. They were leading him up the corridor that he had heard them come down so many times. There was not much light, most of it coming from the torch Slaum held. They were walking through a narrow hall with stairs visible at the end. After being lugged up the stairs and through another passage, Merlin was brought into what looked like the great hall of a large manor. There were large windows lining the walls, allowing in the light from a colorful sunset.

Merlin looked at the vibrant reds, oranges, and pinks that faded up into the blue of a slightly cloudy evening sky. The light was little enough that it didn't hurt his eyes too badly, and it was nice to see some sunlight again.

Merlin's attention was drawn to the large stone altar in the middle of the room when the hoodlums jerkily began pulling him there. He could feel dark magic emanating from it, and it had chains connected to the corners. Merlin started struggling as they pulled him closer and closer, ignoring the pain that flared up when he tried to move. He didn't know what they were planning on doing, but the magical residue seemed to be dispersing a dark, depressing mood into the air surrounding the large slab of stone. His efforts were useless, the two large men easily overpowering him.

One of the men lifted him up, slamming Merlin roughly on to the stone, stunning him for a moment. Apparently that was all they needed, as Merlin's head cleared to them attaching his shackles to the chains at the corner. He pulled his arms away, surprising one of the men and succeeding in getting his arm free. As he struggled against the other man, his free arm was grabbed again and pulled back down.

Searing pain ripped across his back as the man pulled his arm-and Merlin-roughly down on to the coarse stone. Merlin had to fight to keep his magic at bay, knowing it would only cause more pain.

Finally, he was chained down, unable to move more than a few inches. The men stepped back, and Merlin proudly noticed a few scratches on their arms and face. His pride disappeared as Slaum stepped up to above his head, barely in Merlin's range of view. He wasn't holding the torch anymore, but the smirk on his face made Merlin feel nauseous…_I guess it could also be due to the time he hit my head down on the stone_ He thought drily.

Merlin's thoughts instantly focused as he felt Slaum's cool, clammy hands on either side of his face. The sorcerer began chanting a spell Merlin didn't recognize, but he could feel dark tendrils of magic stretch out towards his mind, wrapping around him. Instantly, his magic rose up to defend him, but the darkness of the spell reaching into his memories combined with the pain that shot through him made his magic recoil. He was struggling physically as well, dimly aware that he was yelling at the man looming over him. Flashes of memory began to flip across Merlin's vision, the darkness seeping through it.

"_Traitor! Liar! I can't wait to see you burn!"_

"_How could you? She was your friend! How DARE you!"_

Realizing what the man was doing, Merlin scrambled to hide his memories any way he could.

"_Drink it." _

"_Don't call my name as if we are close, Sorcerer."_

Merlin was struggling with all his strength now, his magic sending waves of pain through him as he tried to push the spell away.

"_We're not all as deaf as certain royal prats."  
"What did you say?"  
"Exactly my point"_

Finally realizing that he wouldn't be able to push the man away, Merlin decided to hide the memories he had to protect – those of Camelot's defenses, the tunnels below the castle, Gaius's and Morgana's magic, Arthur's secrets – and that of his birth. Merlin took the memories he knew Slaum must never find and started to retreat into his magic. He had 'hidden' from the pain before, but this was agony. The dark magic was tearing through his mind, ripping his memories as it searched for information.

_Help, please. _Merlin tried desperately to call for help – any help. _I can't do this, please…please. __**Help Me!**_

He was being enveloped by his magic, the shackles sending pain through his body as the evil magic sent agony through his mind and soul. He could feel the other magic trying to grab him, his magic shrinking away from the touch as the sorcerer seethed over his loss. Finally, the pain won out and Merlin let his magic surround him with the warm darkness, hopefully protecting him and Camelot's secrets.

~/^\~

_The firelight danced across Arthur's vision as he raced through the town, giving orders on what was to be done. Finally reaching the wall, he took the crossbow Merlin offered to him._

"_I'm sorry you have to do this." Merlin looked worried, but everyone was right now._

"_Why? It's not your fault." Arthur said, trying to calm him manservant down. His eyes were already searching the sky for the great beast that had been terrorizing them for the past three nights._

"_Actually, it is." Merlin's voice made Arthur turn to him in shock, realizing what his friend had just said. As he was about to laugh, Merlin spoke again. "I was the one who released him. I let him attack Camelot."_

_The screams coming from below them seemed to die down, Arthur's thoughts narrowing to what the young man in front of him had just said. "You __**what?**__" Arthur's voice was a mixture of disbelief and anger. He hoped it was untrue, but Merlin's face and voice told him otherwise. _

"_How could you?" Arthur pushed his manservant, anger being the emotion he was best at displaying. As he pushed him, shackles and chains appeared around Merlin and a strange cloaked man caught him._

"_Arthur, Please! Just listen, I need to explain." Merlin was struggling against the man who had caught him, obviously in pain. Arthur jumped forward to grab him, his anger forgotten at the look of panic on his friends face. He wanted an explanation, and this man behind Merlin did not seem good. _

_Right as he reached out to grab Merlin and pull him away from the man, wind started raging around them in a circle, hitting his hand away and creating a barrier. _

"_Help, please!" Merlin really sounded panicked now, and there was pain in his voice. "I can't do this…please! HELP ME!_

Arthur jerked awake, his breathing rapid and his heart pounding in his ears, Merlin's 'Help Me!' still echoing through his ears.

He realized his hand was outstretched in front of him and lowered it, looking around the camp as he tried to calm down.

_What on earth was that?_


	17. Beginning of Understanding

**A/N: I don't own Merlin**

"_Help, please!" Merlin really sounded panicked now, and there was pain in his voice. "I can't do this…please! HELP ME!_

Arthur jerked awake, his breathing rapid and his heart pounding in his ears, Merlin's 'Help Me!' still echoing through his ears.

He realized his hand was outstretched in front of him and lowered it, looking around the camp as he tried to calm down. _What on Earth was that? _As he looked around the camp, he noticed Sir Radgear – who had taken the first watch – looking at him questioningly, his hand on his sword. Arthur shook his head, trying to signal to the man that everything was alright, even when it seemed nothing was alright.

The ashes of the fire were still releasing some of their warmth, meaning it hadn't been very long since they had retired for the night. Arthur stared at the glowing embers fire pit, not really seeing them, but seeing the pained look on Merlin's face in his dream. That was the first dream he had had like that - and it had felt so real. He could have sworn he heard Merlin – not just in his dream, but in reality. That unnerved him more than anything.

_It must have been from the conversation with Leon_ he thought, but as much as Arthur tried to convince himself that this was true, he could not really believe it.

The feeling that things were not as they seemed had only grown stronger – and now he was worried as well. What if things really were not as they seemed, and Merlin was in trouble? If he had been enchanted, and that made his eyes gold on the trip, if he had not escaped, but had been taken…

Arthur felt like he had been hit in the stomach.

That would explain so much…why he didn't escape at first, how he had gotten out of the dungeons – if he had been taken, that would explain why the chains were gone as well, he was probably still chained up. Arthur could feel the pit in his stomach become worse as these thoughts crossed his mind. _No, it can't be. I would have seen. What about what he said under the influence of the truth serum? Magic couldn't change that, could it?_

Arthur was getting up now, strapping on his belt with his sword. He needed to do something – he hated sitting around thinking, and the past three days felt like that was all he had been doing.

"I'll be back." He said in response to the quizzical look he was getting from Sir Radgear. The knight mumbled a quiet "Yes, Sire." probably assuming he was going to relieve himself. Arthur stalked off into the forest, enjoying the thrumming noise of the forest at night. There was the skittering of little animals throughout the brush, the slight _whoosh_ of an owl flying overhead, and the occasional crack of a twig as deer bounded past. The noise helped distract him from the maelstrom of thoughts buffeting his mind – but only for a moment before the two voices in his head started arguing again.

_He is in trouble! You __know__ Merlin, and you know he wouldn't betray you like that._ The voice that was full of worry argued, making Arthur think of the dream again – and the panicked look on his used-to-be-friend's face.

_I thought I knew him! _The other voice replied – the one that was hurt and angry still. _I thought I knew him, but then I found out that he released the dragon on Camelot and poisoned Morgana and practiced magic!_

_So what? Did you even bother asking why? You tried to kill your own FATHER!_ The other voice reminded him, making Arthur wince at the memory. _And Merlin was the one who stopped you. Everyone has their secrets and regrets – you forced him to tell you his, then didn't even allow him to explain. Now he's in trouble and you are still acting like he is the problem!_

Arthur turned and hit a tree, his mounting frustration needing to be released somehow. The resulting pain jolted up his arm, clearing his mind for a moment. The worried voice was right – he at least owed Merlin a chance to explain. He still couldn't think of any explanation that would warrant releasing a dragon, but he _had_ tried to kill his father – and that was hardly explainable.

Noticing the blood running down his knuckles, Arthur started to clean his hand on his tunic.

"tsk, tsk, Prince Arthur. You really should learn to control your anger better."

Arthur spun around, hand on the hilt of his sword, to find the source of the voice.

The moonlight filtering through the trees provided just enough light to make out the outline of a man in a long robe, long black and silver hair flowing down past his shoulders, his arms crossed in front of him as if scolding a child.

"Who are you?" Arthur naturally began using his "royal" voice, though he was nervous. He hadn't heard or felt the man approach him at all, and he didn't think he had been _that_ lost in thought. "What is your business here?"

"Who am I? That is a very complicated question, your Highness. I am many things, but you may call me Slaum." The man sneered the words "your highness", showing he held no real respect for the title.

"As for my business here, it is quite simple really. Your manservant has not been quite as…helpful as I hoped he would be, so now - I want you." At the mention of Merlin, Arthur had drawn is sword. The man before him was obviously a sorcerer – the one who had most likely taken Merlin.

"What do you mean? Where is he?" Arthur was trying to control his anger, not wanting to show weakness to the enemy. He had his sword at the man's throat, but the man was not even flinching.

"Answer Me!" Arthur was very close to losing it, the tip of his sword close to drawing blood now. As he pressed it a bit further, he was shocked to feel himself flying through the air, stars dancing across his vision when he struck a tree. Struggling to get a breath in, he tried to stand as the sorcerer approached him.

"Ah, this is familiar. You should have seen – what do you call him? Merlin…yes, that's it. He struggled, you know. Saying he wouldn't tell me anything, trying to get away. Of course it was useless, just like your struggling now. Those shackles you used on him were quite helpful." The sorcerer Was leaning in over Arthur, taunting him. "Made it so he could barely breathe… kind of like you right now."

Arthur was furious, his guilt being transformed into anger at the man in front of him. He was laughing as he mentioned Merlin being chained, Merlin struggling, unable to breathe. _Of course he couldn't get away. What could Merlin do?_ Arthur tried to get up, tried to fight, but found he couldn't move. Panic started to rise as the sorcerer reached out and grabbed his arm, eyes flashing gold as he mumbled strange words under his breath. A wind started to blow around them, making it even harder for Arthur to breathe. He tried to shout, tried to get away, but could barely stay conscious. As the darkness finally surrounded him, his mind was filled with a roaring sound, then nothing.

~/^\~

Arthur woke to a dull throbbing in his head, groaning as light entered through slivers in his eyelids. Blinking the fogginess from his vision, he tried to look around. The first thing he noticed was that his hands were chained together in front of him, and there was something around his neck connected to a chain that led to the wall. Looking around the room, there was a large curtain across one side of the room – probably dividing the area – and windows lining one wall. The other walls were plain; one had a small door in the corner – most likely a servant's entrance. It looked like a meeting hall of some sort, the ceilings were very high, and the windows had stained glass above them. One showed a man riding a dragon, another a man conjuring fire, and yet another two men standing with a large white castle in the background. The rest were broken or so covered in dirt that the image was unrecognizable.

Back to the task at hand, Arthur gave the chains an experimental tug, holding the collar when he pulled so it didn't choke him. Neither showed any sign of being loose enough to pull out, so Arthur took to studying the large curtain hung across the center of the room – for now he was sure that the room extended beyond the curtain. There weren't any hooks or ropes holding it up, leaving magic as the only way it remained hanging. Other than that, it was an unremarkable, black curtain.

A voice came from the other side of the room, filling Arthur with rage and –though he would never admit it – fear. "Curious, Arthur? Haven't you heard the saying "Curiosity killed the cat"?

Arthur turned to look at the man, his only reply a deadly glare that would leave any knight or noble scrambling to do anything that would take them away from the source of the glare. This man, however, barely looked fazed at all. Now that his hood was down, Arthur could see the narrow face that had been hidden before. His eyes were a dark brown, sunken back into the smug-looking face.

"Now, now. I was just pointing out the truth. Behind that curtain is what I will use to break you. You see, at first I was just going to use you to get information." Arthur bristled at this, determined not to tell the man anything. "But then, I learned so much from Emrys that even you do not know. It will be so much better to break you first, learn your secrets, and let your father see you broken – for that will surely break him too. After that, Camelot will fall quickly and Uther will pay for his sins by watching all of it, unable to stop it."

Arthur listened, horrified, as the man continued to rant about his father and all the sins he had committed. _No matter what is behind that curtain, no matter what he says this Emrys told him, I can't tell him anything_ Arthur decided resolutely. He would **not** be used as a weapon against his father – he would find a way out before he let that happen.

"Now, now. Don't you know it's rude to ignore people?" Arthur jerked as pain flashed through his body, looking up as the sorcerer's eyes faded from gold back to a dark brown. "That's better. Now, as I am obviously boring you, maybe we should move on?"

"I won't tell you anything. You might as well kill me now." Arthur's voice was dripping with loathing, successfully pushing down the bit of fear that was nagging at the back of his mind.

"That's what he said too. We'll see." The way the man said it sounded so sinister; Arthur couldn't help the shiver that passed down his spine. Slaum's eyes flashed gold, and Arthur braced himself for another wave of magic-induced pain. Instead, he heard a soft _thump_ behind him, and spun to see the source.

The curtain was lying in a heap on the floor, revealing what was on the other side of the large room.

Arthur had expected torture instruments – whips, chains, knifes – or magical instruments or something. What he had not expected was to see a simple slab of stone, strange markings around the edges, as the only thing in the room. Standing to get a better view, he noticed something on top of the stone.

_No. No, it can't be._ His mind raced, trying to deny what he could plainly see as the truth. Merlin was lying on the altar – for that's what it was, Arthur now realized – but he was obviously in a bad condition. There were bruises covering his face, scratches leaving small red lines across his face and down his neck. His arms and legs were stretched out, chained down to the corners of the table. Arthur noticed numbly that he was still in the cuffs he had been in while in Camelot's dungeons. _Those shackles you used on him were quite helpful. Made it so he could barely breathe…_The words the sorcerer had used earlier were haunting his mind now, flooding him with guilt. He stepped forward, wanting to go to the young man's side, wanting to help him somehow, but the collar around his neck jerked him to a stop a few feet away from Merlin.

Bruises littered Merlin's torso and abdomen, an especially large black one along his ribcage. Arthur suspected there was a broken rib. There was blood along Merlin's back and on the table around him, staining it a darker color and making merlin's pale skin look like he could be a ghost. _No!_ The thought made Arthur study his manservant's chest, watching and praying for it to rise, for it to show that he was still alive, that Arthur could somehow make up for this. It did, barely, but enough for Arthur to let out he breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Small gashes lined Merlin's shoulders and sides, making Arthur realize that the blood from his back meant he had been whipped. _No, this shouldn't be how it is. Why is he like that?_ Arthur was still trying to realize what this meant, why his friend – was he still his friend? – was lying on a slab of stone, obviously having been tortured, when he was supposed to be elsewhere, hiding from the knights as he planned to take over Camelot?

Slaum laughed, enjoying the emotions of horror and confusion flashing across the young prince's face.

"If only you knew." The sorcerer was leaning in behind him, whispering the words in Arthur's ears as he stared, horrified, at Merlin. "He has done so much, and in his time of need…you treat him like a criminal, chain him so he is defenseless, and condemn him to die." The sorcerer's voice was mocking, pointing out Arthur's errors. "Even after I reminded him of your last words to him, he still wouldn't tell me about Camelot's defenses. He defended you, saying you will be a 'great king', and that he wouldn't betray his friends. And yet, all of his friends betrayed him. I ask you…who is the real traitor?"

Arthur had collapsed to his knees, still staring at his friend. _Last words? The last thing I said to him…We were in the dungeons; that was the last time we spoke. He told me about poisoning Morgana, about the dragon, and I…I got mad. I attacked him. Oh no. I called him a traitor, I said I wanted to see him burn!_ Arthur's guilt was steadily growing as images of him holding Merlin to the wall assaulted his memory. He had shouted such hateful things at Merlin, not letting him explain.

_He still didn't say anything…he still went through this for me._ Arthur couldn't tear his eyes away from the body on the stone.

Another part of Arthur tried to argue, tried to come up with something that would make this easier. _What if this isn't real? What if that isn't Merlin? What if it is, but the wounds are fake? He is trying to break you, and he is already making you doubt yourself. You have to hold on!_

The wounds certainly didn't look fake. His lips were dry and cracked, some areas bleeding where the skin had split. One of his eyes was swollen, a dark purple bruise covering it. He just looked generally – weak. Arthur knew Merlin was skinny, but muscular. He had to be strong in order to do most of his chores, but none of that was visible now. He seemed to be skin and bones…and that had to be hard to fake.

Arthur knew he was barely holding himself together, so he tried to tune out the sorcerer trying to manipulate him.

"Now Arthur. I thought we already established that you shouldn't ignore me." The voice behind him made Arthur brace himself for more pain, but none came. Instead, the sorcerer came around so he was facing Arthur and squatted down so he could face him. "I can see you are already learning some of your mistakes." Arthur just stared numbly at him, not giving any reply. "Now to finish the lesson…"

The sorcerer reached out his hands, grabbing both sides of Arthur's head. Arthur lifted his hands, trying to push the man away, but the chains stopped him and soon, blackness surrounded him.


	18. What have I done?

**A/N: I don't own Merlin or the characters. **

Arthur was sinking into the darkness, then found himself in the middle of the woods, surrounded by light filtering through the trees_. _

_"Come on, Merlin! You're such a slowpoke!" The brown haired boy in front of him looked to be about eight or nine years old, his chocolate eyes hiding a laugh. He was climbing up a rocky ledge, almost to the top of the small outcropping._

"_Are you sure about this Will? Mom always says that the rocks are loose after storms – let's go climb Old Man Screery's tree instead." Merlin's voice came from his throat unbidden – it seemed he had no control over the events, and could only watch what happened._

"_Oh, come on Mer – Fine, I'll come down." Will changed his sentence upon noticing the anxious look on his friend's face. The anxiety Arthur could feel changed to horror as Will started to lower himself, the stone he had just put weight on collapsing from under him. He went tumbling down the rocky mound, large stones falling after him. _

"_WILL!" His hand flew out in front of him, trying to catch his friend in the fall. He did catch him, and only after he had pulled him away realized that the boulders that had been falling were suspended in midair above the two boys. Gasping, he spun to look at his friend, who had also noticed the floating stones. _

"_Are you doing that?" Will tore his eyes away from the stones, looking straight into Arthur's (Merlins?) eyes. "You can do magic!" The stones dropped, and both boys jumped at the loud crash that resounded through the clearing. _

"_I..I, um, I - " Arthur felt panic blossoming in his chest as he looked at the ground. "That is so cool! How come you never told me? Can you make other stuff float? Do you have to say any fancy words? When did you start? Can you make me float?" Will's excited voice made his head jerk up in shock. "You're…you're not mad?" Merlin's voice came again, unsure and frightened, but with a hint of hope._

"_Of course not, you clotpole! This is so awesome! How come you never told me you could do that?" Will's face was just curious, no anger or betrayal showing. Relief made Arthur feel like he was about to fall down, and apparently it was true. Sitting down on the soft moss of the forest floor, Merlin's voice came out of his mouth again. "Mom said I shouldn't tell anyone. She said it was very dangerous if any of the bad men ever found out, so it had to be kept a secret." _

_Will's face became serious as he remembered seeing families in cages, taken into Camelot. "Oh. Well, I promise I won't tell anyone! Pinky swear." Will was serious, but his face suddenly broke out in a huge grin. "So does this mean you can make water float over Screery's mean ol' cat?" Arthur heard a laugh come out of his mouth as he got up and went running after Will, who had immediately taken off towards the river when he finished the thought. _

Arthur jerked, pulling back and hitting his head on stone. It was like he had been woken from a dream with a bucket of cold water. "What…what was that?" He was afraid of what the answer would be, almost sure that he had just lived one of Merlin's memories. He glanced toward the young man chained to the stone across the room, as the sorcerer's voice gleefully announced "That was just the beginning."

Suddenly, Arthur was thrust into another scene.

"_What did you just do?" Gaius was struggling to get out of the bed he had just fallen on to. "Tell Me!"_

"_Um…I-I-I...I have no idea what happened." Arthur felt worry rising in his mind, and am image of a young man being executed while Uther spoke of sorcery flashed across his mind._

"_If anyone had seen that…" Gaius's voice trailed off, the threat hanging in the air. _

"_No, that was – that had nothing to do with me." Arthur felt himself racking his mind for an answer, trying to find a way to persuade the old man in front of him that he wasn't the source of the mysterious movement of the bed._

"_I know what it was, I just want to know where you learned how to do it" The man's voice wasn't accusing, but demanding. "Nowhere!" Merlin's voice came again_

"_So how is it you know magic?"_

"_I don't!" _

"_Where did you study? Answer me!"_

"_I - I've never studied magic, or been taught." Now Arthur was really struggling to keep his breathing normal. He had only just arrived, and already his life was in danger._

"_Are you lying to me, boy?" His voice was slightly more accusatory now._

"_What do you want me to say?"_

"_The truth!"_

"_I was born like this."_

"_That's impossible." Gaius scoffed, though he seemed to be studying the boy in front of him more intently. _

_Arthur could feel himself struggling for an answer to that statement, and was relieved when Gaius finally asked who he was. That he could answer, and he pulled off his bag to retrieve the letter he knew was there. _

~/^\~

"_How small you are for such a great destiny." _Now Arthur was in a large cave, looking upon the very dragon he had seen terrorize Camelot - and it was speaking to him!

"_Why? What do you mean? What destiny? He could feel himself slowly approaching the creature, wary but curious._

"_Your gift, Merlin, was given to you for a reason."_

"_So there is a reason!" Relief flooded through him, but confusion came with it._

"_Arthur is the once and future king who will unite the land of Albion." The gravelly, wise voice said to him._

"_Right…" Merlin's unbelieving voice said._

"_But he faces many threats… from friend and foe alike."_

"_I don't see what this has to do with me."_

"_Everything. Without you, Arthur will never succeed. Without you, there will be no Albion." _

"_No, No - you've got this wrong." _

"_There is no right or wrong - only what is and what is not." The dragon said cryptically._

"_I'm serious! If anyone wants to kill him, they can go ahead! In fact, I'll give them a hand." _

_The large dragon chuckled, showing rows of pointed teeth. "None of us can choose our destiny Merlin…and none of us can escape it."_

"_No, no way, no. No! There must be another Arthur, because this one is an idiot."_

"_Perhaps it is your destiny to change that." The dragon said before spreading it's large wings, taking flight._

~/^\~

"_But I didn't kill the griffin…you did." Arthur recognized the knight in front of him as being Lancelot – the man who had first made Arthur begin to question his father's belief that 'the law was the law'._

_Arthur felt a sigh escape his lips, then Merlin's voice came once again. "That's ridiculous."_

"_Bregdan anweald gafeluec…" Lancelot said quietly, glancing towards the guards standing a few feet away. "I heard you – I saw you." _

_Panic spread through his chest as he realized what this meant…He had been discovered! _

~/^\~

Darkness surrounded Arthur again, then…

"_We can't use magic on Uther – He'll kill us!"_

"_We don't have a choice."_

"_Gaius!" Merlin's voice was incredulous at the suggestion._

"_There are times when it is necessary. It is your right."_

"_I don't know how." Merlin's voice sounded defeated, like this was his last argument._

"_If you don't…He is going to die." Gaius said sadly, looking at the form lying on the elaborate bed._

Arthur could see his father lying on the bed, looking deathly pale. The other memories he could place, but this – this he had no knowledge of. He had never seen his father looking that weak. Why was Gaius saying he was going to die?

_Walking over to the king, He felt a wave of power surge into his mind as he placed his hands on either side of the man's head." Bebiede þe arisan ealdu. Áblinnen" The power went through his hands, finding a small anomaly and pulling the insect out of Uther's ear. Relief flooded through him at the sight of it, and at the fact that Uther was still alive._

~/^\~

"_Emrys." A child's voice in his ear. "Help Me."_

The scenes were changing more rapidly now, Arthur flitting from one to another

"_You're telling me…that little boy is going to kill Arthur?"_

"_It seems that is up to you."_

"_No!"_

"_You have it in your power to prevent a great evil."_

"_You can't know that for sure! The future isn't set in stone!"_

"_You must let the boy die."_

~/^\~

"_One day Arthur will be a great king, but he needs my help. If anyone ever found out about my powers, I would have to leave Camelot for good."_

"_So you are telling me that you would rather keep your magic a secret for Arthur's sake than use it to protect your friends and family?" Will's voice held a small amount of accusation, but a pleading tone bled through._Arthur knew that the silence following the question spoke more than any words could have.

~/^\~

"_If it comes to a choice between saving people's lives and revealing who I really am…then there isn't a choice."_

"_You can't let Arthur know about your gift!" Hunith was in front of him this time, worry visible on her face._

"_Why not? Maybe it's meant to be this way. _

"_And if he doesn't accept me for who I really am….then…he's not the friend I thought he is." Sorrow was lining Merlin's voice as he looked into the fire, avoiding Hunith's eyes._

~/^\~

"_You're not going to die" The statement was false, but desperate. Arthur looked into Will's eyes as began to speak, pain evident on his face. _

"_You're a good man, Merlin. A great man, and one day you're going to be servant to a great king…Now you can still make that happen."_

"_Thanks to you." Merlin's voice came quieter now, realizing that there was nothing he could do._

"_This place has been boring without you...Good to see you again." _

"_You too."_

"_Merlin…Merlin, I'm scared." The young man on the table had fear evident in his eyes, all false bravery gone in the presence of his friend._

"_Don't be scared, alright?" Arthur could feel his hand rubbing Will's hair quickly now – his vision was becoming blurry, tears filling his eyes._

"_Merlin-" The young man's frightened voice cut off, his shaking body becoming still as the pain finally faded and finally the tears that had been building began to spill._

~/^\~

"_I do not have the power to mirror life itself and yet give nothing in return." The woman Arthur had seen in the cave while he was looking for the Morteus flower was now standing in front of him, next to a large altar as fog swirled around the two people talking._

"_I know the price that will be asked." Merlin's voice was serious like Arthur had never heard before._

"_To save a life there must be a death. The balance of the world must be restored."_

"_I willingly give my life for Arthur's." Merlin's voice came, confident of what it was saying. _

~/^\~

_Horror crossed his mind as he saw Gaius on the ground, facing away from him. _

"_Have you killed him?" Merlin's voice came, a quiet whisper filled with many emotions. _

"_It was his wish." The young woman stated, as if talking about nothing of significance. _

"_I bid my life for Arthur's! Not my mother's, Not Gaius's!" Merlin's voice rang through the air, the fog making it echo._

"_The Old Religion does not care who lives and who dies – only that the balance of the world is restored." The woman's voice rose to meet Merlin's, then softened. "To save a life a life must be taken. Gaius knew this."_

"_It is not the old religion that has done this – it is you." Anger was building in his mind, anger at the woman standing in front of him, at the pain she had caused. _

"_Come now, we are too valuable to each other to be enemies."_

"_No - I set nothing with you!"_

"_With my help, Arthur will become king" Her voice was a sickly sweet, trying to calm him down. He would not be calmed down, though._

"_**I**__ will make Arthur king – you will never see that day." Merlin's voice carried such strength, such finality, that Arthur was surprised the woman still looked so smug. "Astrice!" Power roared through his thoughts, a golden red jet of fire streaming from his hands toward the sorceress in front of him. _

"_Your childish tricks are useless against me – I am a priestess of the old religion." Nimueh mocked, catching the deadly fire easily in her hand and forming another, which shot towards Arthur. His body moved out of the on its own, landing roughly on the wet grass. She formed another ball of fire, speaking as she did. "And you, A creature of the old religion. You should join me."_

_Having climbed back to his feet, Merlin's voice came out soft, but sure. "You think I will join forces with such a selfish and cruel magic?"_

"_Never."_

"_So be it." The sorceress said before launching the newly formed fire at him, but this time his body did not move in time. A yell echoed through the fog as Arthur felt a burning pain roar through his chest, overwhelming his mind for a moment. He heard the woman approach and begin to speak, but his mind was still screaming with pain. Seeming as if it was coming from far away, her voice floated to his consciousness. "Pity, together we could have ruled the world."_

_As she turned and walked away, the pain dulled. In its place was anger. Anger like Arthur had never felt before, Anger that swelled like the ocean and with the anger came power. It was like being in the middle of a storm at sea – the waves rose and controlled everything, there was nothing that could stand up to it. His eyes opened suddenly, seeing the gathering clouds above that seemed to boil with the anger coursing through him. He slowly rose to his feet, looking after the woman walking toward the physician lying on the ground. Merlin's voice came quietly, but the power in it was evident. "You should not have killed my friend." A hand was raised to the sky, and all of the power and anger that had been building in his chest poured out, the clouds in the sky responding to his feelings. Lightning flashed in the sky as the clouds darkened and grew together, eventually following the directions of his hand and striking the woman who had hurt so many people._

_Running past the spot she used to be, he rolled the old man over, shaking him, desperate to hear his voice. "Gaius….Gaius!" Sorrow and pain roared through his body, the pain more from what he had lost than from the vicious burn on his chest. _

"_NOOOOO!" He roared as the sky began to cry with him. Guilt flowed in, taking place with the sorrow and pain as he nearly drowned in the emotions coursing through him. "Noooo!"_

"No!" Arthur jerked back, the sorrow still coursing through him. Too late he realized he was back in his own body, the sorcerer standing smugly in front of him. Tears were spilling down his face, but he didn't care. He had just lived Merlin's memories- Merlin's life.

"Why?" He tried to regain control of his voice, not liking the way it cracked as he spoke the one word. "Why are you showing me this? What do you want?"

The sorcerer in front of him merely stared at him, as if sizing up his reaction. "You called _him_ a traitor and a murderer." He said quietly, waving his hand toward Merlin, still unconscious on the stone table. "And yet, you have betrayed him more times than you know. He has been ever faithful to you – even after you turned your back on him. You are the one who, along with your father, has murdered hundreds of innocent men, women, and children…simply for possessing a skill you do not. I am showing you this so you understand. It is not you who was betrayed – it was you who betrayed your kingdom. And your friends."

After saying that, the sorcerer got up to leave, barking a word that opened the doors out into the hall. It looked to be close to midday, and Arthur was still in shock from all he had learned. Struggling to his feet, he stretched as far as the chains would let him go.

"Merlin?" His voice was barely above a whisper, still hoarse from the tears. "Merlin? Can you hear me?"

His friend simply laid still on the stone slab, chest rising and falling slowly with each breath. He showed no sign of having heard his prince, and Arthur simply stared at his bruised form.

"Oh, Merlin…" Arthur couldn't tear his eyes away from his friend, needing to see that he was still breathing as the memories of what he had seen ran through his mind, answering some questions, but leaving many more. One question stood above all the rest:

"_What have I done?"_


	19. Unexpected Rescue, Part I

**Thank you so much to lussau, romirola, carinims01, sarajm, musicnlyrics, Un-ended tales, bluespiritgal, PrinRhi, Said The Liar 13, Solar07, ruby890, lorpor9, SwitzDandelion, rmatri540, nycorrall, neko262012, Mirnava, Bluring, pure-me, Joy82407, khrystaline, Future Aviator, bubzchoc, KittlyAbz, Merlinfanatic77, Cynder713, chibitomodachi, Xylie, merlinandfreyaFTW, pauldleast, StarDreamer2008, dolphingirl1991, FireMuse, iluvbrandieforeva, LenleG, NinjaTerra, Masked Bard of Chaos, bluedragon.77, Misthea, Said The Liar 13 – especially for your great message! I'm sorry if I missed anyone, it has been a hectic few weeks. Thank you to all of you wonderful readers!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or any of the characters from the show.**

After the sorcerer left, Arthur had stood staring at his friend, processing what he had learned about him. He had never learned magic – he had been born with it. Merlin had used magic to kill the griffin, and also to save his father from some insect in his brain. Arthur decided to question Merlin about that if – when they got out. And the druid boy they had saved – he was supposedly going to kill Arthur? He was getting more questions now than he had before he had seen Merlin's memories. Will hadn't been the sorcerer, but had lied so Merlin could stay with Arthur. Arthur began to wonder what would have happened if Will hadn't been shot saving Arthur. Would Merlin have confessed? What would Arthur have done?

He thought of what he "saw" Merlin say to his mother, and felt a pang of guilt. "_If he doesn't accept me for who I really am….then…he's not the friend I thought he is."_ Merlin had tried to trade his own life for Arthur's – another shocking revelation_ - _and Arthur had still treated him like a traitor when he had found out his friend's secret.

_You didn't know…you can't blame yourself!_ The hurt part of him still tried to defend his pride, to say that it wasn't his fault for not accepting Merlin. Merlin should have explained everything. But really, he knew that Merlin had tried, but he had been forced to reveal his worst actions by the questions Arthur had asked. _I really am an idiot. The answer always depends on the question asked._ He had learned that from watching his father during court sessions and trials. Words and actions could be twisted by the context, and Arthur had not tried to seek the full explanation – instead, he had jumped to conclusions.

To the wrong conclusions.

~/^\~

Gaius groaned as he rose from his bed, knowing he needed to make Uther's medicine for the night. Uther had been doing worse since the patrol returned with news of Arthur's disappearance. He had doubled the patrols, and cracked down on any hint of sorcery. He frequently paced around the castle walls, watching for the return of any patrols or for Arthur to ride up. The rest of the time he spent locked in his room, only allowing Gaius in to see him.

It seemed every day though, Gaius got more and more exhausted as time went by without any word of Merlin. He hoped he had found a way to escape, but the realistic part of him knew that Merlin being taken against his will was more likely – and Arthur disappearing only strengthened that fear. Gaius felt like he was going through the motions now – Merlin had brought a light into his life that he hadn't realized was missing before. Now, there were times where he would hear the door open and turn to look at Merlin, only to see another servant standing in the doorway with a request.

The times he felt the best were the nightly visits Gwen made, telling her of some of Merlin's accomplishments. They always sat down to tea, and would laugh over some things (Convincing Arthur Merlin had knocked him out and brought him back after he 'eloped' with Sophia) and sometimes tears were shed (Will's death being one of them). It was a comfort to be able to speak of his stories, and Gaius knew it comforted Gwen as well. None of them would be truly able to move on until both Arthur and Merlin returned and were safe, though.

~/^\~

Arthur sat leaning against the wall, watching Merlin as he tried to filter through everything he had learned. It was strange having memories that were not his, and seeing himself in the memories only added to the strangeness. He was pulled from his reverie as the ceiling began to shake, powder falling from the ceiling as larger and larger bits of stone loosened.

Suddenly, Slaum's voice appeared in his head. "_I will give you one chance, Prince Arthur. Only one chance, though, and don't try to fool me. I will be watching."_ The voice faded from his consciousness, bringing him back quickly to the crumbling room.


	20. Unexpected Rescue, Part II Edited!

**A/N: Still don't own Merlin, and this is last chapter re-written. Huge thank you to bluespiritgal, who helped me write Kilgarrah. The memory Arthur sees is the same, but let me know what you think of the other changes please. And I added a teaser of for next chapter(already written), so you aren't completely left in the same place. Also, I explained the shackles a bit more. **

_Suddenly, Slaum's voice appeared in his head. "__I will give you one chance, Prince Arthur. Only one chance, though, and don't try to fool me. I will be watching."__ The voice faded from his consciousness, bringing him back to the crumbling room._

Jumping to his feet, Arthur watched as a large stone crashed through the ceiling above the door, falling to the ground and leaving a large crater in front of the door. Another stone was pulled away from the ceiling with a roar, and Arthur was filled with dread when he realized what was destroying the building. A claw became visible as another stone was pulled away, and soon the hole was large enough that the dragon – apparently very alive - put it's head through, eyes searching the large room. As soon as the creature saw Merlin lying chained to the stone, it pulled it's head back out and let loose a roar of flames, shaking the ceiling before there was an eerie calm.

Arthur tensed, waiting for something to happen, but apparently the dragon had taken off. Soon, though, Arthur saw where he had gone. The dragon was outside the large windows, flying straight towards them. Arthur managed to throw his hands in front of his face just as a large crash sent the glass shattering everywhere. Shards hit his arms, leaving small scratches all up and down the limbs. Pulling his arms down, he saw the dragon – tail still hanging out of the window – leaning over Merlin.

Working up his courage and pulling himself to his feet, he tried to distract the furious looking dragon from his helpless friend. "H - Hey! What are you doing? Get away from him!" Silently cursing himself for stuttering, Arthur resisted the urge to shrink back against the wall when the dragon swung a large gold eye to him, seeming to evaluate the prince.

"I am helping him, young Pendragon. You have no need to fear me." The dragon spoke quietly, almost sounding amused, before turning back to Merlin, apparently sniffing at him. Arthur was still trying to get over the shock of the dragon actually speaking to him – sure, he had seen it in Merlin's memories, but it was far different in real life having the beast towering over him, the same creature, he mentally added, he thought he had killed.

The dragon growled a low, barely audible sigh, "Oh, Merlin" and reached its snout out towards the young injured only to suddenly jerked back and swivel an angry head towards Arthur.

"Who dared to place these on him?" The dragon was now glaring at Arthur, its piercing eyes making him want to curl up and hide as it hissed the question out.

"What do you mean?" Arthur tried to stop his voice from shaking as the great beast continued to stare at him.

"These shackles! They are very rare and forged in dark magic! The most vial and wickedest kind – that which poisons any other magic! No sorcerer would dare touch them, let alone use them on another!"

Arthur paled, feeling even sicker with guilt than he already felt. When Arthur had demanded Merlin be restrained after what he had done -or thought he had done- he had not thought twice about using the shackles from the vaults of Camelot and applying them to his defenseless servant. He stared at those shackles now in shame, the skin around them black and bruised from the effort Merlin had made to try to free himself.

Something in his manner, his stance had the dragon's eyes suddenly narrowing with growing suspicion. The massive beast's mouth twisted into a snarl, the rows of sharp teeth gleaming. "I will give you one chance to explain yourself, princeling. What. Have. You. Done!" The dragon's hot breath washed over Arthur with each spoken word, terrifying him.

"I-I…we thought he had attacked us! I didn't kno-"

Arthur's frantic explanations were cut short as the dragon put its head back and let out a furious, pain filled roar, his tail knocking out a bit more of the wall and his cry drowning out Arthur's thoughts.

"You fool! Have you any idea what harm you have caused!" The dragon thundered, making Arthur press himself back against the wall and wish again he had his sword. "Merlin's power is the only reason you are alive today, and you dare take it from him and leave him helpless, unable to defend himself! Not only have you blocked his strength, the very essence that is Merlin and caused him unbelievable pain, but you have kept his presence from me."

"I don't understand."

"Merlin does not possess magic. He IS magic and he is my kin. When you sealed his magic, you crippled him and the shackles began to slowly poison him." The dragon looked sadly down at the pale, motionless warlock. His voice rumbled with angry sorrow when he faced Arthur again. "You, Pendragon, may have succeeded where your enemies have failed; for in your heartless action, you may have severed your own destiny and the future of Albion!" He eyed the prince with accusation. "You are to blame for this and if anything else happens to my warlock, I will hold you responsible, young prince." The dragon had stepped closer, his head only a few feet from Arthur, his words a threatening growl.

His destiny? Albion? Arthur could faintly remember whispers of a memory speaking of those words, but still didn't completely understand what the dragon meant. Then again, Arthur's thought processes were not doing so well with a large dragon threatening him, his eyes focused once again on the row of sharp teeth nearly as long as the prince's height.

"What do you mean?" Arthur knew he was repeating himself, but he couldn't seem help himself.

The dragon glanced back at Merlin, his eyes flickering with a soft emotion before turning back to Arthur. Some of the fierce anger had momentarily left the dragon to again be replaced with sadness. "Merlin's destiny has always been to be by your side, protecting you. But such a great destiny does not come without sacrifice – especially for one with such a gentle soul. Merlin placed his faith in you, not only as his prince and future king, but as his friend. You, however, have let your anger rule your decisions and refused to see the truth. I heard his cry, I felt his pain and his loneliness, but could not fathom the reason why or find him until now because the shackles blocked our connection. This evil is of your own doing, princeling, and now you must take responsibility."

Arthur took a deep breath, glancing past the dragon at his friend-his best friend-lying so deathly still on the stone, his chest barely rising with each breath. His throat choked on the truth. The guilt became worse, almost unbearable the more he learned about Merlin. There were still so many questions to be answered but he couldn't think on that now because the dragon was right – this was his fault, there was no one else to blame and he had to make this right, somehow.

"I know. I will do all I can." Here, Arthur paused to swallow his pride and looked at the dragon. "Please, just help him. I realize now that I was wrong, and I can't lose him."

The dragon stared at him, his golden eyes seeming to delve into Arthur's innermost thoughts and feelings. It was all Arthur could do to keep himself from looking away from the penetrating gaze, but he stood his ground and prayed the beast would see that his remorse was real.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the dragon broke the strained eye contact, turning so he was standing over Merlin, his gaze and voice almost sorrowful as he looked at the young man. "I will do everything in my power to help my kin, but I cannot fix what is already broken."

Looking back at Arthur, who was beginning to relax off of the wall, the dragon stepped towards him and stretched it's head out towards Arthur, coming closer and closer to him. Arthur threw up his hands reflexively, his instincts trying to protect himself, before feeling a warm wind wash over him as something hard pressed against his arms. The chains around his wrists and neck fell off, making him pull his hands down to look at the dragon. The creature stared back for a moment before taking a step back to Merlin and saying authoritatively "I will do what I can but the shackles must be removed or he will not be able to heal."

Arthur nodded and quickly reached for the ring of keys on his belt, only to realize with trepidation that it was not there and with sickening dread remembered he was still in his clothes from the patrol, and his keys were in his chambers. Horrified, he looked up to the dragon. "I-I don't have the keys. They're in Camelot."

The dragon let out a sound that was half roar, half growl before turning back to Merlin, suddenly breathing a small jet of flames over him. Arthur jumped forward immediately, running to the altar, fear and sudden anger in his heart. "What are you doing? We can still-" Reaching the large stone, Arthur was stunned when the fire stopped. Merlin was uninjured – at least from the fire; not a hair singed or a spot of burned skin. Though the shackles remained, the chains that had been holding him down were nowhere to be seen. Realizing the dragon had done to Merlin that same thing he had just done to him moments before, he let out sigh of relief and ran a hand through his hair, seeming in a state of never-ending shock as he stared at Merlin.

Guilt racked his mind once again as Arthur really saw how bad the damage was to the young man. The bruises were horrible; scattered over his neck, face, and torso. Arthur assumed there were more on his legs that could not be seen. Around his ankles, where he had been chained to the stone, were rings of raw skin, bleeding where he had struggled against the chains. The worst bruise was on his left side, which was almost positively a broken rib. Where the skin wasn't black, purple, or green it was far too pale and horribly mottled. The only bit of color was on his face, where the flushed skin suggested a fever. Staring in shock at the young warlock, laying still on the rough stone, Arthur jumped slightly when the dragon spoke. "There is little time to waste. We must hurry, bring him to me."

Reaching out to pick Merlin up, Arthur could feel the heat radiating off his skin. _Definitely a fever, then_. Slipping one hand under Merlin's head, Arthur reached to put the other gently under his knees and lift him up when a barrage of images started flashing before his eyes. Before he knew it, he was somewhere else entirely.

"_They won't find her – she's gone." The empty feeling that pervaded him was so heavy, he couldn't even find the strength to move._

"_I'm sorry." Gaius was sorry; you could hear it in his voice. It didn't change the truth, though. Arthur still couldn't move his eyes as Gaius walked over and sat on the bed next to him._

"_I do understand how you must feel, Merlin." His voice was full of sorrow for the pain his ward was going through._

_Shaking his head, Arthur finally looked at the man sitting next to him before Merlin's voice came from his mouth. "You can never understand. Do you know how it feels to be a monster – to be afraid of who you are?"_

"_Freya is very different from you – she's dangerous." He heard the words, but didn't want to listen to them._

"_Whatever she is and whatever she's done, she doesn't deserve to die." _

_Laying his head back down on the pillow, the image of the young woman smiling flitted across his vision. "I just hope she's safe…somewhere far away." As the words came from his mouth, the warning bells began to ring through the citadel, crushing the small amount of hope that was in his mind. _

_Fear giving him the strength to move, he jumped from the bed and went running down the halls, out of the castle. Echoes of "There she is…Stop!" ring through the streets in the lower town, and he was running faster and faster, his eyes and ears searching for some clue of where they were. _

_Suddenly, Arthur heard a pain-filled cry coming from one of the alleys closer to the castle. As he was running that way, it turned into roars and yells. _

_Finally following the sounds to the courtyard of the castle, he saw a large black cat in one of the corners, surrounded by knights as Arthur – the one in the memory – came through the knights, sword drawn and pointed at the large creature. _

_Indecision tore his mind as he glanced between the Prince, sword up and at the ready with grim determination on his face, and the wounded cat that he knew was more than it appeared. Blue eyes connected with the glowing green, and the decision was made. A flash of power, and suddenly a gargoyle's head fell from the sky, missing the surprised prince as he dove out of the way. The creature looked at him once more, then bounded into the sky, flying away. _

_Running after it, Arthur's feet moved too quickly for him to understand where they were going. As he grabbed a torch and lit it with a whispered word, he realized he was descending into the catacombs beneath the fortress. _

_Rounding a corner, he saw the creature, pain and fear in its eyes. A hand reached out, Merlin's comforting voice spoke. "You're all right – you're safe now." Petting the large cat, it suddenly turned and walked away. Following it, he heard the roars turn into sobs and took off his jacket._

"_You must hate me." The young woman was shaking, not looking him in the eye._

"_No!" he protested, sorry to hear her even speak the words._

"_I'm a monster-I tried to tell you." She was still trying to calm the sobs, but Merlin's comforting voice spoke. _"_I know." _

"_I wasn't always like this…" She started to explain, breathing ragged as she spoke. _

"_Shh…Don't try to talk" She ignored the words and continued her story. _"_There was a man, he attacked me. I didn't mean to hurt him, but I thought he was going to kill me."_

"_It was an accident." Merlin's voice was calming, trying to reassure himself and the wounded girl in front of him._

"_His mother was a sorceress. When she found out that I killed her son, she cursed me to kill forever more." She explained, whimpering as she tried to move her injured arm._

"_I'm going to make you better, Freya."_

"_No, Merlin. There's nothing you can do. Please go." Her voice was pleading, but he couldn't do what she asked._

_Shaking his head, the words came out as tears blurred his vision once more. "Nope. I'm not leaving you here."_

_Arthur felt his hands quickly grab a dress lying on the ground near them, pulling it over her head as gently as he could. Once it was on, he picked up the shaking girl in front of him, and made his way out of the castle. The guards were in a panic, running to and fro looking for the creature. Finally making his way out of the town and into the forest, he was constantly checking her breathing. She was obviously getting worse, her breathing slowing down and becoming quieter as the broke through a line of trees surrounding a lake. Day was just beginning to light the sky, shadows of the mountain and trees reflected on the calm water's surface. _

"_You remembered." The whispered words brought a smile to his face, though sorrow still filled him as the girl closed her eyes, exhaustion visible on her features._

"_Of course." Swallowing the tears blocking his throat, he wanted to say something – anything to make it better. "I am so sorry for what that sorcerer did to you." He finally gasped out._

"_Merlin, you have nothing to be sorry for." She was accepting the truth he was desperately trying to deny. _

"_There must be something I can do to save you." Glancing down at her wound, he felt guilt wash over him, joining the sorrow that was filling his every thought._

"_You've already saved me." She whispers quietly, pulling his attention back to her eyes. "You made me feel loved."_

"_I don't want you to go." The tears were beginning to spill over, but he was trying to keep his face calm._

"_One day, Merlin, I will repay you. I promise." The words took the last of her strength, and Arthur could feel her weight growing heavier in his arms as she finally drew her last breath. Her head was sinking back, though he could hardly see anything through the tears anymore._

"_Freya…" He breathed, running his hand over her face before pulling her into his embrace. "No." The sob escaped his lips and he clung to her, finally realizing there was nothing he could do. "No..."_

"ARTHUR!"

Arthur gasped as he was pushed away from Merlin by the dragon, tearing the memory away. Tears were running down his face, and he quickly wiped them away before jumping to his feet again.

"Why did that happen?" he asked, spinning to the dragon. "The sorcerer isn't here – I didn't make the spell, why am I still seeing his memories?"

The dragon looked worriedly at Merlin, then turned back to Arthur. "I fear the damage is worse than I first thought. We must go now."

As the dragon reached for Merlin, Arthur cringed at the sharp talons, but the dragon carefully slid the claws under Merlin's inert shoulders and legs. When he had a good grasp, the dragon lifted Merlin up off the blood stained stone. Arthur couldn't help the gasp that escaped when he saw the state of Merlin's back. The dragon growled again at the damage done to his kin, and Arthur tried to ignore it. He had figured Merlin's back was injured as well by the amount of the blood staining the table, but it was far worse than he had imagined. A fresh wave of guilt washed over him as he looked at the shredded skin on his servant's back. Some of the lash marks were obviously infected, the skin around them red and puffy and the wounds themselves covered in white and gray.

Through all of the motions of the dragon lifting him up Merlin hadn't made a single sound or movement and it worried Arthur greatly. He stepped forward to check that he was still breathing, fearing the worst had happened and Merlin was dead. He jumped back, though, as his way was blocked by the dragon's other clawed arm reaching for him.

"What are you doing!" He shouted, unnerved by the creature suddenly swiping at him. A strange noise which sounded suspiciously like a chuckle, rumbled from the dragon.

"Do not fear, princeling. Merlin still lives and I am merely picking you up so we can leave. The young warlock's condition is grave though and he needs attention now. Flying will be the fastest way."

Without giving Arthur a chance to protest again, the dragon reached towards Arthur, though more slowly. Every instinct told Arthur to run away as the dragon's claws surrounded him, but too soon he was being held in a strong grasp and lifted up. Arthur instinctively clutched the long talons with both arms as the dragon turned to the window and pushed off, its large wings causing the air to buffet Arthur. The prince tried not to be sick as his stomach suddenly lurched from the sudden ascent. Flying was not for him, Arthur decided within seconds of taking off and seeing the castle and trees suddenly becoming much smaller as the dragon flapped the great expanse of its wings and rose higher before banking sharply to the right.

One look at Merlin, held securely in the talons and tucked protectively against the dragon's chest, and all thoughts of himself and his own discomfort vanished from the prince. His friend was still unconscious, and things did not look good.

_Hold on, Merlin. You'll get through this. Just hold on._

~/^\~

Slaum had exited the room, leaving the prince alone with Emrys. As soon as he was out, the large doors swinging shut behind him, he leaned against the wall, allowing his exhaustion to show. This had been much more taxing than he had expected.

At first, he had planned to find out Camelot's weakness from the boy's memories, but his magic formed a wall around any important information, making it impossible to view. As he had tried to go through other memories, tried to find any details that could help him, it became more difficult. The spell was very difficult, and the shackles hurt his magic as well – making him a little nauseous after each session of searching the boy's memories. The thing that made it most difficult, though was the memories that rose each time he touched the young warlock's magic.

"_Daddy!" The small girl called, chocolate hair bouncing as she ran to him. "Look what I learned today!"_

_Focusing her emerald eyes on a small, hand-drawn picture, she muttered with all her strength. "L-Levairto." The small paper floated up, almost making it to his hands before it began to falter. Joining her magic, he helped pull the small painting the rest of the way. _

"_Fantastic! I'm so proud of you."_

He had been proud. She had been the kindest soul ever to live, always willing to help others. As her magic had grown stronger, she had become known through their small village as a healer, and worked very well with the small children. By the time she was 16 years old, she was famous with all of the children. Her name was Nicole, but the village children all called her Miss Nickie, and she loved it. Her magic was so pure, so light and kind and … beautiful. Emrys's magic was just like hers. It was stronger, like comparing a pond to the ocean, but it held the same beauty as hers had – though his was slowly being tainted by the poisonous shackles around his wrists.

Slaum's initial reaction at learning of Emrys had been rage – how could someone protect the Pendragon family when they persecuted magic so? After watching as Emrys's magic was discovered, pity tried to crawl in. He was but a boy, and had been thrust into his role. When offered a way out, though, Emrys still remained loyal to Arthur. That made Slaum angry again, and doubly so when he couldn't find anything out from the boy. After Emrys retreated into his magic, Slaum found he could not pursue the young man, his own memories flooding up every time he tried to push through Emrys's magic. He made due with searching through the memories that had been left, finding out what he could about life in the castle and Prince Arthur.

What he saw was astounding. He saw the boy's power displayed time after time, the entire city oblivious to the danger their savior had rescued them from – or that they even had a protector.

He watched the boy's memories of the sacrifices made. He felt his sorrow at watching his best friend die, sending his first love out on the lake after her death at the hand of Prince Arthur, the joy at learning of his father, then the agony and guilt of watching him die in his arms.

Slaum's anger had grown again. _How could he defend the prince? How could he say he would be a great king when he has already cost him so much? _

His curiosity made him search more, through memories of the first time they had met, and the way the arrogant young prince had tormented his servant, to hearing the dragon speak of destinies. He watched through the young warlock's memories, feeling his emotions, as the young prince transformed from an arrogant fool, used to power and unearned respect, to a young man who knew the true meaning of respect, willing to do what was right even when it went against what he had been taught.

Slaum's emotions battled for dominance – pity for the warlock who had been betrayed, hope for the future Arthur and Emrys were trying to make, anger at the king who had broken so many relationships through his blind hate, anger at the blind devotion displayed by Emrys.

He also saw that the prince had a soft spot for the servant – that showed even in how hurt he was at the supposed 'Betrayal'. Slaum wanted to use that against the prince. He would judge the prince on his reaction. He had seen in Merlin's memories the sense of justice the young prince had. He would give the man one test – if he tried to make things right, Slaum thought he might – _might_ give the prince a second chance. If he still held blindly to the ideals of his father, though, Slaum would take his memories and attack Camelot.

Once he had decided, he immediately left to bring the prince back to his castle. He knew Arthur had left the castle today, but had not expected him to leave the meager protection the camp provided. It made it even easier to attack and kidnap him, and Slaum had enjoyed taunting him about this weakness.

Having seen the prince's reaction to Emrys's memories, he heard again what Emrys had said when he first began flogging him. _"His mind is changing, it just takes time and each magical attack on Camelot convinces him that his father is right. He will never learn that magic can be good if all he sees it used for is this! He has only ever seen it hurt people, so of course he believes that it is evil." _

Because of this, when one of his men came running up to the sorcerer, blabbering about a dragon coming towards the castle, he sent the message to the prince and muttered the transportation spell. He would be watching closely, and knew the prince would not take his threat lightly.

Chapter 20 Preview

Arthur heard a twig snap in the bushed behind him. Slowly rising, trying to make as little noise as possible, he reached for his sword, cringing when he realized it was not there. He stopped scanning the trees and looked around for anything he could use as a weapon when he heard another rustle. His eye caught on a large stick that he could use to defend himself, and he calculated the distance to grab it. Merlin was still lying on the ground, but Arthur could grab the stick and stand over him.

"Show yourself!" He commanded, ready to leap forward and grab the branch if the rustle proved to be enemies.

"Arthur?"

.

.

.

**A/N: So I will upload as soon as I wake up, which should be in 4-6 hours. What did you guys think? Better? Please let me know what you thought, and I will update the next chapter soon!**


	21. Found

**A/N: ****I do not own Merlin**

**Thank you so much to: chibitomodachi, carinims01, Masked Bard of Chaos, Cruelest Sea, PrinRhi, Redwolf11, Said The Liar 13, sherlockianmuser, nycorrall, romirola, Cynder713, ruby890, merlinandfreyaFTW, jinglyjess, Un-ended tales, LenleG, j3swimmer, Merlinfanatic77, bluespiritgal, FATEISoverrated, Xylie, Redwolf11, Alaia Skyhawk, Sherlockreader, musicnlyrics, bluecougar712, JediBorme, MysticMaiden 18, and tkilyle. Double thanks to carinims01, bluespiritgal, DragoonDaGreat, PrinRhi, and sarajm for reviewing the edited version I posted of last chapter. Thank you to all the readers, and I am sorry if I missed any of you that reviewed, favorited, or followed. Congrats on those of who guessed who found Arthur! On to the story...  
**

As the dragon landed and released Arthur from its grasp, he stumbled before catching his balance. It had been the strangest experience being carried by the dragon, and not one he wished to repeat.

Looking around, he realized they were in the woods surrounding Camelot, though still a good ride from the city.

"I cannot bring you any closer to the city, but there is a patrol of knights to the west, and they should be here soon." The dragon was still holding Merlin, who had still not moved the entire flight. As it finished saying this, though, it began to lower Merlin to the ground. Gently rolling him away from it's talons, Merlin ended up laying on his side, facing away from the dragon with his bruised rib up off the ground. His back was to the side, giving Arthur a good view of the inflamed wounds.

"Isn't there anything you can do to help him?" Arthur wanted to go reposition the boy; lay him somewhere more comfortable and cool his fever, but he was afraid of seeing more of Merlin's memories.

"The shackles will poison any magic I attempt to use to help him." The dragon said, making anger clear in it's voice. "My fire will have aided him in the fight against infection, but I can do no more while he is still chained with those abominations."

Arthur looked down, still feeling immensely guilty about his actions. "I must go now, before your men come. I will be watching, Pendragon. Best not waste your second chance." The dragon turned away as he said that, giving himself room to take off. "Wait! What do you mean, second chance?" Arthur's voice was drowned out as the dragon beat it's wings again, taking off into the darkening sky.

Finally, the sound faded away and Arthur was left alone with Merlin, guilty thoughts plaguing him as he watched the steady rise and fall of Merlin's bruised chest. He finally gave up trying to figure out the dragon's warning, which stubbornly caused hope to begin to grow that he would get a chance to fix all this. The problem now that they had escaped was figuring out something to tell his father so Merlin would not be killed as soon as they entered Camelot. He could try to convince his father that Merlin had been enchanted, but would that work?

As he was coming up with details of the fabrication, Arthur heard a twig snap in the bushed behind him. Slowly rising, trying to make as little noise as possible, he reached for his sword, cringing when he realized it was not there. He stopped scanning the trees and looked around for anything he could use as a weapon when he heard another rustle. His eye caught on a large stick that he could use to defend himself, and he calculated the distance to grab it. Merlin was still lying on the ground, but Arthur could grab the stick and stand over him.

"Show yourself!" He commanded, ready to leap forward and grab the branch if the rustle proved to be enemies.

"Arthur?" Relief flowed through him when he saw Leon come from behind a tree, four other knights quickly appearing behind him. "Thank goodness! Where have you been? Are you injured?" Leon stepped out of the trees, taking in the scene before him. His eyes froze when they saw Merlin on the ground, then he looked questioningly towards Arthur. "Sire?" There was a strange tone to his voice that Arthur took a moment to figure out, then Arthur realized what Leon was asking. "No! This – it wasn't me, it was our captor – a sorcerer. He needs help, now, though. Where are your horses?" It horrified him to think of doing that to Merlin, or that Leon would even think he did that. He quickly covered his emotions by slipping into the role of leader again. It felt good to have some amount of control, even though it was a meager amount.

"They are tied nearby with Sir Robert. We had heard noise and decided to come investigate. Were you injured as well? Is the sorcerer nearby?" Leon had waved two of the knights to attend to Merlin and was approaching Arthur, scanning him for injuries. The last two knights had taken to watching the surrounding area, straightening when Leon mentioned the sorcerer still being nearby.

"No, I'm fine." Arthur waved Leon off, turning to follow the knights toward Merlin. "The sorcerer is long gone, but I am unable to move Merlin without assistance. We need to get him to Gaius." Arthur watched as one of the knights reached out to roll Merlin over, ready to pull him away if the knight began seeing Merlin's memories. He was relieved when nothing seemed to happen, but could tell even the hardened knights were appalled at the state the young man was in. One of the knights who had been standing guard took one look, then offered to go get the horses and quickly began jogging in the direction they had appeared from. One of the others pulled off his cape and spread it on the ground behind the manservant.

"How should we move him?" The youngest knight of the group was staring at Merlin's back, tearing his eyes away from the torn skin to look at his leaders.

"We'll wrap him up and he will ride with one of us on horseback. We don't have time for a stretcher, and laying him across the back of a horse will stretch his wounds." Leon answered the young boy, joining one of the more experienced knights in wrapping Merlin gently in their capes. He was glad to see how quickly the knights had taken care of the supposed 'traitor', though there was some doubt still in the knights' eyes. Leon also noticed the way Arthur seemed to watch closely but would not approach his injured manservant. These thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hoof beats shortly before two knights entered the clearing, leading the half-dozen horses behind them.

"Two of you will ride together." Leon rose from next to Merlin, watching the other knights begin to lift the frail boy. "Merlin will ride with me unless…?" Arthur shook his head to the silent question, making Leon lift an eyebrow in surprise, but he didn't push it. Leon mounted his horse, waiting for the knights to pass Merlin to him. In the process, Merlin began to slip and would have fallen to the ground except for Arthur quickly jumping in and grabbing him. As soon as he touched him, though, Arthur's eyes got a faraway look and he fell to the ground as well, Merlin landing on top of him.

"Get him off the Prince!" Leon yelled, jumping off his steed and rushing to his sovereign. When he got there, the knights were lifting Merlin off and taking him away from Arthur. As soon as they were apart, Arthur's eyes jerked open and he gasped, sitting up.

"Sire! Your highness, can you hear me?" Leon watched as Arthur blinked a few times, seemingly dazed.

"Yes, I just – just was a bit tired. Continue what you were doing." Arthur still looked stunned, and Leon watched him a moment before deciding he was uninjured from the fall and hesitantly rising to do as Arthur had ordered.

Finally, they were all mounted and riding through the forest on their way to Camelot. Leon held tightly to Merlin, and the group rode as fast as they could without further injuring the young man. Through all of the movement, though, Merlin never made a sound or moved at all other than the shallow but steady breaths. Leon kept glancing at Arthur, who refused to look at Merlin and seemed to be lost in thought, just following the knights that he normally would have led back to Camelot .

**A/N: Sorry it's short, I'm moving this weekend and have a ton of stuff to do. I start a new job Monday, but will try to get another chapter up within a week. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!**


	22. Uther's Verdict

Arthur spent the ride back to Camelot deep in thought, processing the last detail he had learned of Merlin's past. He hadn't thought about what he was doing when Merlin began to fall, he just jumped forward to catch him. Before he knew it, though, more images and emotions had been flashing through his mind. Another of Merlin's memories was now in his possession as well.

"_I grew up there." Merlin's voice was hesitant, trying to communicate something unspoken._

_The rough man standing in front of him turned from the stick he had been reaching for and looked at him intently for a moment. "Ealdor?" He sounded surprised, his husky voice questioning. _

"_Yes, I know the woman." Merlin said and Arthur felt a small ray of hope in Merlin's emotions. _

"_Hunith? She's still alive?" Merlin had the man's full attention now._

"_Yes. She's my mother." Merlin said, waiting expectantly for what the man would say next. _

_The man's eyes flickered with pain and another emotion before he spoke softly. "Then she married." He began to turn away, not looking into Merlin's eyes anymore."That's good." he whispered, bending down to get another piece of wood before turning back suddenly when Merlin next spoke. _

"_She never married._

"_I'm your son."_

_The man, who Arthur had finally placed as Balinor the dragonlord, simply stared at him as the images began to blur, tears building in Merlin's eyes. Finally, the man shook his head and spoke quietly. _

"_I don't know what it is to have a son."_

_Joy soared through Arthur as Merlin realized his father was accepting him – hesitantly and fearfully, but accepting him nonetheless. _

"_Nor I a father." Merlin's voice said, and Arthur could feel a smile spreading across his face._

Suddenly, the scene was gone and Arthur had realized he was lying on the ground.

"-r highness! Can you hear me?" Leon had been hovering above him, concern written across his face as Arthur blinked to clear his eyes. He had known he had to come up with a reason for falling, but his mind was still stuck with thoughts of Merlin. He remembered mumbling something about being tired and waiting until Leon had turned back to attempt a second time to get Merlin on the horse with him. Once the knights had been distracted, Arthur had pulled himself up and mounted his own horse.

Now Arthur was riding and trying to figure out this new development. Balinor was Merlin's father? From Merlin's memories, Arthur knew Merlin believed it to be true, and it would explain why he never spoke of it. Arthur's thoughts then turned to his own memories of what had happened on the search for the dragonlord. When he had seen the dragonlord dead, he had noticed Merlin's tears but his thoughts were only of Camelot. That man had been Camelot's last hope, and there he was, dead in Merlin's arms. Arthur had been frustrated, even more so at having to go back and tell his father he had failed.

Now, he cringed at how callous he had been to Merlin. He had spoken of the man being dead as an inconvenience – the loss of an asset, not the loss of a father. He had meant to support Merlin when he had said no man was worth his tears. He had meant that if he died facing the dragon, Merlin should not cry for him. He had wanted to give some strength to his sorrowful friend, but now the words sounded uncaring. Arthur shuddered at the thought of someone telling him that about his own father, but Merlin had laughed it off and come to fight the dragon with him. _The dragon he released_ a part of him whispered, and he wondered if his father being a dragonlord had anything to do with Merlin releasing the creature on Camelot, or with them being able to defeat it - _though not kill it_ he thought drily. His thoughts then began to chase in circles of the dragon helping, calling Merlin his kin. Was Merlin a dragonlord? Had he always had that power? How was the dragon defeated if Arthur didn't kill it? If Merlin had the ability to defeat the dragon, why search out Balinor? Did he just want an excuse to meet his father? Would he really bring his father into danger? Could he beat the dragon by himself or did he actually need Balinor?

The thoughts ran in circles, showing Arthur how little he actually understood of his manservant. So he rode in silence, letting the other knights lead him home as he avoided looking at the man who was the source of the vortex of questions whirling through his mind.

~/-\~

The sun was just beginning to set when the loud clatter of hooves announced the knight's entry to the courtyard, people scrambling to get out of the way of the rushing horses. The onlookers watched as the knights and their prince dismounted, thought the looks of worry and exhaustion stopped the cheers that would have normally come when the missing prince returned to Camelot. Instead, there were whispers as the one of the knights took a bundle of capes from Sir Leon and began to walk briskly into the castle, the prince right next to him.

Sir Leon caught up to Arthur and Sir Robert, who was carrying Merlin, just before they reached the physician's chambers. He watched as Arthur closed his eyes for the span of a few steps, taking a deep breath even as he kept pace with the two knights. Finally, they reached the door to Gaius's rooms and Leon stepped ahead of the others to open the door.

"Gaius!" He called, quickly glancing around as he stepped forward and began pushing books off of a table in the center of the room.

"Leon! What's happened? I thought -" Gaius's voice silenced and he froze where he stood as the knight carrying his ward came through the door, Arthur following shortly after. He ran forward, immediately recognizing the mop of black hair and the ears that were visible from where he stood.

"Merlin!" Gaius was shocked to see the state his ward was in, but tried to push the emotions away from now so he could treat Merlin. "Quick, lay him down. What happened?" Gaius quickly began trying to assess the damage, but even seeing the state of Merlin's face and neck boded ill for the young man. The knight carrying Merlin laid him on the table and began unwrapping the red capes that had been keeping him warm. Though he didn't let it interrupt his treatment, Gaius was filled with sorrow at the sight of his usually cheerful ward unconscious, covered in bruises, and obviously sick with fever.

"I don't know. He was like this when I first saw him, but I think the sorcerer responsible for the attack...I think he was tortured." Arthur spoke up finally, trying not to stumble over the words he had thought of so many times.

By now, Merlin had been unwrapped and was lying on his back on the table. Gaius had Leon and Robert roll Merlin onto his side so that he could check his back, and Arthur felt another wave of guilt as he watched sorrow and fear flash across the physician's face.

"I need to speak to my father." Arthur said, needing to be anywhere but here. And he had something he needed to get to right some of the harm he had done. "I'll be back soon." With that, he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

He was deep in thought as he made his way towards his father's chambers. He had rehearsed a million things to say to his father to try to prove Merlin's innocence, but was still nervous. He knew he would need to stay calm, but was still shaken from watching Gaius begin to treat Merlin.

Because he was so lost in thought, he didn't register the sound of heavy footsteps until they came around the corner in front of him, his father's voice ringing out.

"Arthur! I am so glad to see you safe." Uther stepped forward, reaching out to grab Arthur's forearm in an 'acceptable' embrace. Arthur stiffened when he saw his father, and the four guards trailing behind the king – more than usually accompanied him - only added to the sense of worry. His father had stepped back and was now waiting for an explanation. When Arthur realized this, he straightened up and looked his father in the eye, trying to calm himself before he began into the explanation.

"Thank you, Father. I am glad to be back. I was just on my way to give you a report of what had happened." Here he paused, waiting until his father nodded for him to continue. "I was kidnapped by a sorcerer while on the search patrol and taken to his fortress. When I woke up there, Merlin was there as well." Noticing the way his father stiffened at Merlin's name, he quickly rushed on before his father could say anything. "Merlin wasn't my captor, though, he had also been taken and – and he had been tortured for information about Camelot. I believe the sorcerer took me because he couldn't get any information from Merlin. Father, I think Merlin is innocent and was framed for his crimes."

Arthur paused, trying to figure out what his father was thinking. Uther was staring at him, face unreadable as he asked "And is that who was on Leon's horse when you rode in? The serving boy?"

Hesitantly, Arthur nodded his head, opening his mouth to explain further when he saw his father wave two of the guards toward Gaius's chambers.

"Father! Did you hear what I just said? He was framed and _tortured_. He is not a sorcerer!" Arthur had tried to reach out and stop the guards, but instead spun and faced his father, trying to stay calm.

"The boy might have enchanted you, Arthur. Until I have all the details, I want him in the dungeons."

"He is of no danger to anyone! He is barely alive, and if you send him to the dungeons, you might as well just kill him now." Arthur was struggling not to shout and the two other guards had come to stand next to him, stopping him from going back to Merlin and reminding him not to do anything rash.

"I was held in the same room as him, I know he was not there willingly. He was held under horrible circumstances and still kept our secrets – I cannot return that loyalty with punishment." Arthur's voice was low and firm at the end - not enough to be threatening, but enough to make his point. Just as he thought his father might be softening a bit, he heard shouting down the hall. Ignoring the guards grabbing at him, he spun around and ran towards the physician's chambers.

~/-\~

Gaius had noticed Arthur rush from the room, but his attention was focused on Merlin. He directed the knights in rolling the young man over so he could place pillows under him, taking the pressure off his ribs while giving Gaius access to the wounds on his back. Then he began collecting bandages and mixing the salve he would need to clean the wounds. As he was rummaging through his shelves, two guards came through the door and said shortly "King's orders." before lifting Merlin off the table and carrying him towards the door.

"Put him down!" Gaius shouted, reaching to stop the guards, but he was pushed out of the way. Leon stepped in front of the two men after that and they stopped moving.

"King's orders are to get the sorcerer and take him down to the dungeons – chain 'im so he can't get out again." One of the men said, trying to push his way around the knight standing in front of them. Unfortunately for them, he was not as easily moved as Gaius.

"Where is the king?" He asked, knowing Arthur had been going to talk to his father and he would not want this to happen – at least Leon didn't think he would.

"Out in the hall speaking to the prince. But he told us to go ahead and get the traitor and take 'im down." The guard tried to push his way around Leon once again, and this time Leon let them pass. Following them out, he grabbed one of the men's arms.

"You can see he is injured, just be careful how you carry him." Giving the guard one last pointed look, he released his grasp on the man's arm.

The guard smirked at him, then imitated dropping Merlin, only to catch him around the chest. "Oops. Guess I forgot about his ribs." The guard said upon hearing Merlin's breath catch at the pressure to his broken bones.

Several things happened then. Both Leon and Gaius stepped forward threateningly, and there was a shouted warning to the guard. They were ignored, although Sir Robert - not having the self control of the older men - stepped forward and punched the guard squarely in the face. As the man reeled away, dropping Merlin in order to grab his jaw, Robert took Merlin back into his arms, mindful of the injuries on the young man. The furious guard spun towards him and stepped forward again, his companion joining him in glaring at the knights and physician – Gaius and Leon had both stepped up next to Sir Robert. Blows might have been exchanged except for Prince Arthur running around the corner at that moment.

"Gaius!" He called, eyes searching for his injured manservant. When Arthur found him in his knight's arms, the challenging guards approaching him, he doubled his speed until he was blocking the two guards.

"Pardon, Sire, but it's the King's orders he be taken into custody." The lead guard said, his attitude and manor of speaking showing the respectful words did not reflect his real thoughts.

Before Arthur could reply, his father came around the corner, the other guards coming to grab him. Arthur resisted at first, pulling his arms away from the two men, but eventually he stopped and faced his father.

"Father, Please. Look at him, he is _not_ our enemy." He pleaded, hoping against hope that his father would see the truth of what he was saying. Uther glanced to the other men outside Gaius's chambers, taking in the scene.

The two guards he had sent were stepping back from the others, but looked furious. One had a hand to his jaw and was slowly stretching it. Then there was a young knight holding Arthur's old manservant. The young man was facing towards Uther, but his head was hanging limply. Uther could see injuries scattered across his torso because the boy only had his pants on, his shirt and socks missing. On his shoulders there were signs of having been whipped. The young knight was watching Uther hesitantly, but kept his grip on the young sorcerer in his arms. Leon and Gaius both stood encouragingly behind the knight.

"Set him down." Uther commanded, the young knight quickly doing as he was told, feeling everyone watching him as he clumsily laid the young man down on his side, then stepped back to stand at attention – though Arthur noticed gratefully that he positioned himself between the guards and Merlin.

Uther was shocked to see the full condition of the boy's back, but quickly covered his shock as he turned to Leon. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

Leon opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by the guard who had first taken Merlin.

"We were trying to carry out your orders, sire, but these knights threatened and assaulted us." He whined accusingly, motioning to his already swelling jaw. Sir Robert flushed at this, but glanced up and noticed Arthur's approving smile before quickly looking at the floor again.

Uther sent a glare towards the guard, making his disapproval of the man speaking out of turn clear, then turned once more to Leon.

"Is this true?"

"Forgive me, Sire, but we felt he was treating the boy with uncalled for cruelty, which goes against all that Camelot stands for. As followers of the knight's code, we felt it necessary to stop such actions." Leon bowed, showing no regret over what had happened, but the proper amount of respect to his king.

"He is a sorcerer and deserves no protection from you. I am disappointed to hear that the knights have such little self-control, but will allow it to pass this once." Uther finished his rebuke and turned back to Arthur, who had listened to the exchange, unbelieving at his father's statement.

"Father, please listen to me." Arthur stood straighter and at the silent question, Uther nodded for the guards to release him. "I saw this man tortured for information about Camelot, but he would not give it even after being offered freedom from the chains _we_ had put him in." Arthur pointed to the chains still around Merlin's wrists.

"I swear to you on my honor as Crown Prince of Camelot that he is of no danger to us." Arthur paused, letting his formal oath sink in. "...and it would be a horrible injustice to leave him to die after what he went through for us."

"And what of his obvious enchantment in the forest?" Uther argued

"Think of what he told us when he awoke – that he had been trying to help. The knights were distracted with treating the injured, Merlin would have tried to find a way to help. It would have been easy for the sorcerer who was behind it all – even my kidnapping – to enchant him and bring him into the area. The gold we saw was probably from the sorcerer attempting to possess him."

Uther had stiffened at the mention of Arthur's kidnapping, but seemed to be opening to the idea of Merlin's innocence. Arthur held his breath as Uther seemed to debate in his mind.

"You have seen this sorcerer?"

Arthur let out the breath he had been holding, relief and hope building. "Yes. He took me from near our campsite while I was on patrol, to a fortress where he was holding Merlin. I finally escaped while he was out of the room and brought Merlin with me, but he will die without medical attention."

Arthur faintly realized he seemed to be pleading with his father, but found he didn't care. The exhaustion of the past few days was finally catching up with him. Gaius seemed to realize this, as he stepped in then.

"Sire, if you please." When Uther acknowledged him, Gaius continued. "Arthur is obviously exhausted and I have yet to examine him for injuries. Merlin's condition also seems serious, and the fact that he has yet to wake is indicative of enchantments. May I perform an examination while he is still asleep and report my findings to you afterward?"

Uther weighed Gaius's words in his mind, then finally came to a decision.

"You may." At everyone's relieved faces, he set his terms. "But, I want you to see to Arthur first."

Holding up a hand as Arthur tried to protest, he continued. "Once that is done, you may perform your examination and treat the boy's injuries. Then report to me immediately. You must keep a knight in the room with you and a guard outside the door at all times."

Having made his commands clear, Uther turned to leave, motioning for three of the guards to follow him. The one with a bruise spreading across his face shot one last glare towards the young knight, then followed the king.

As soon as the king turned the corner and was out of sight, Arthur rushed to Merlin's side, but stopped himself from picking the young man up. Leon saw his hesitation and knelt down, gathering the wounded warlock into his arms and sweeping into Gaius's room.

"Arthur, Come sit down and take your shirt off." Gaius went to a table and pulled a chair out for Arthur, motioning for him to sit.

"Gaius, I'm fine. Please, see to Merlin. He needs you more than I."

Gaius just shook his head, waving Arthur forward. "You look exhausted, dirty, and chilled; plus, it was your father's condition. We can't go against that."

Looking down at himself, Arthur realized what a sight he was. He was still in his nightshirt from the patrol, which was covered in dirt and had small tears across it. Gaius pulled out a blanket and directed Sir Robert to stir up the fire and Leon to get Merlin settled. It was not too cold this time of year, but there was enough of a chill in the air that Arthur appreciated the extra warmth in the cool rooms.

Gaius was just finishing examining Arthur when Gwen burst into the room, carrying some blankets and bandages in her arms.

"I saw you in the hall with Uther." She explained, blushing and quickly looking away when she Arthur was still missing his shirt. "I thought I could help."

"It is good to see you, my dear." Gaius passed a blanket to Arthur, silently signaling to him that the examination was over. "Would you get me some bandages and boil some water for me?"

Gwen nodded and glanced towards Merlin, who was once more lying on the table, the wounds on his back clear for everyone to see. Biting her bottom lip, she nodded once more and turned to leave.

"I'll come with you!" Sir Robert announced before following the young maid out of the room. At Arthur's glare after the young knight, Gaius chuckled.

"He just needs something to do. The water will be heavy." The laughter disappeared from his face as he turned to look at Merlin, and for a moment Arthur saw his physician mask slip. All of the concern, sorrow, and even a bit of anger showed through before Gaius took a deep breath and began collecting herbs from his shelves.

Now Arthur was left with nothing to do but look at Merlin, watching his back slowly rise and fall reassuringly. As Arthur took in all of the wounds, he saw the shackles around Merlin's wrists and jumped up.

"I'll be right back!" He exclaimed, almost running from the room to get the key that was in the drawer next to his bed.

Ignoring the stares of people watching their prince run shirtless through the halls, he focused only on getting the poisonous shackles off of Merlin as soon as possible.


	23. The Wait Begins

As Arthur finally pushed through the door to his room, he instantly made his way to the other side of his bed, searching through the keys hanging next to his bed for the one that would free Merlin of the poisonous shackles. They clanged noisily as he pulled some out of the way, others falling to the ground as he searched.

It wasn't there.

Just as Arthur was beginning a third sweep of all the keys to check, he heard a hesitant 'Sire?' behind him. Spinning around, he was confronted by George carrying a large basket of laundry.

"I am so glad to see you back safely! I took the liberty of washing all your clothes while you were out, and going through your seasonal items and…

Arthur didn't have time to listen, so he began to gather the keys that had fallen to the ground, hoping one of them would be the one he was searching for.

"I also re-stuffed your mattress, had your shield re-painted….

He still couldn't find the right key.

The keys all polished, your curtains washed…."

Suddenly, Arthur jumped to his feet and raced over to the servant.

"What did you do with the keys?"

George had been startled to silence, but at Arthur's had around his arm, he seemed realize the prince was still waiting for a reply.

"I'm sorry, they were all very dirty and needed to be cleaned, so since you were-"

"Where are they!" Arthur was trying not to lose his patience, but his nerves were very frayed.

"I was just bringing the last few back, they are in the basket, here." George reached into the basket of laundry, pulling out a small package. Arthur grabbed it from his hands and ripped off the cloth that was wrapped around four small keys.

There it was. Grabbing the key with a shout, he went to leave the room, but George moved to stand in front of him.

"Surely you also want a new shirt sire, and a warm bath drawn up?"

"I don't have time" Arthur went to walk around him, but George's words stopped him.

"I will send one with you and get the water ready or your return, then. When will you want it sire?"

Arthur just snatched the shirt from his hands and pulled it on as he walked through the door.

"Later."

~/-\~

At first, he could hide. The darkness went after the information, the memories. They were too important, though, so he pushed them further away – deeper into the well of shimmering blue and gold that he was hiding in. The darkness spread through where he was, though searching for something, anything to grab onto. Flashes of memory came through his vision as they were pulled away from him by the darkness.

_Arthur, Will, Morgana, Balinor._ All sorts of things were brought up as the darkness spread through, making him run deeper to hide. The darkness pursued him no matter where he went, though. _Love, anger, forgiveness, sorrow._ He ran deeper, to where the darkness hadn't been yet. It was warm, it was safe here.

That ended soon, though. The darkness came, but this time it was stronger. It wasn't only the darkness that searched through his memories but also a poison that was turning the beautiful and warm gold into a cold and sick black. _Hate, hope, guilt, pride._ He couldn't get away, so he did the only thing he could. He pulled the magic that was still good, was still his around him like a blanket. He gathered it around himself, making it a wall between him and the darkness.

This was the place the darkness couldn't spread. He was safe here, and the secrets, the important things were hidden here. Hidden doors, emergency plans, secrets. He had to keep them with him, keep them safe. He had to protect them, because then h could protect the others. His friends. He had to keep them safe.

So he hid. He pulled the warmth tighter around him and hid, praying the darkness would go away and someone would save him – though the thought of a savior brought feelings of fear, guilt, and sorrow. Memories of yelled words, of tightness around his throat, of a need to say something but the inability to speak. So he let his magic lull him into warmth and protect him from the onslaught. He was safe here.

~/-\~

Arthur's hands were clenched tight, but he didn't notice the way the pain or the way his knuckles were turning white. Instead, every fiber of his being was focused on watching Merlin as the young man's mentor inserted the key into the Merlin's shackles and slowly turned the key until a distinct 'click' was heard and the metal loosened the slightest bit around Merlin's wrist. With a quick flip of his hand, Gaius had the shackle off from Merlin's right wrist and was moving to the boy's other side. It was only when Arthur heard the second 'click' and saw Gaius straighten with that shackle in his hand that he let out the breath he had been holding. Sir Robert stepped forward and took the two rings of metal from Gaius as Arthur stepped forward expectantly, watching for any response from Merlin. He felt even more guilt as he noticed the red rings around his friend's wrists – the skin was chafed, and there were trails of blood from the metal digging into the skin when he had struggled.

That was the only difference though, no matter how long Arthur waited. Finally, his frustration got the better of him. "Why didn't that fix it!?"

"Sire?" Gaius turned from the table, where he was mixing a new cream and had gathered some more bandages for Merlin's wrists. His tone was confused, though, which drew Arthur to look at him.

"The shackles – removing them should have stopped the poison, right? So why didn't removing them fix it? Why isn't he waking up?" The exhaustion was setting in, and a part of Arthur told him that he should go rest and come back to check on Merlin when he was more in control, but the other, stronger part of him needed to know what was happening – now.

Gaius raised an eyebrow and spoke slowly, watching Arthur carefully.

"The shackles only have that effect on those with magical abilities."

"Yes, I know! That still doesn't answer my question." Arthur stared at Gaius and realized suddenly that the old man still thought he was of the same mind as his father. After all, he had convinced them all that the only reason he was forgiving Merlin was because he didn't think Merlin had magic anymore.

"I'm not sure I understand…"

Arthur sighed and ran a hand over his face, looking around the room. Gwen was over by the fire, curiosity clear in her eyes. Robert had left the room, so it was only Gaius and Gwen who were here to hear him. Could he trust Gwen? He knew he could, but with this? What would she think? Did she already know? Would she understand? Finally, he made up his mind. Gwen was just as much of a friend to Merlin as he was. She deserved to know. And he knew she would be able to keep it secret.

"I know about his…abilities. I just couldn't let my father kill him, so I pretended I didn't." He ignored the small gasp that came from Gwen and the way both of Gaius's eyebrows shot up even while a small, sad smile spread across the man's face.

"I am just now beginning to realize how much he has done – and I need to speak to him, to understand what I learned. He needs to wake up Gaius, I have to talk to him. I have to" – He had been about to say he had to apologize, but didn't want to explain what for. _I can't wait to see you burn!_ He cringed at the idea of Gwen or Gaius learning what he had shouted.

"Why did removing the shackles not change anything? I thought…" He was trying to think what he had expected. For Merlin to suddenly sit up and laugh at him for being so panicked? For his wounds to suddenly begin healing?

"I cannot tell you how glad I am to hear that you are accepting Merlin and his…gifts." Gaius's voice pulled Arthur back to the present, but it sounded too serious. "taking the shackles off will stop them from doing more damage, and it will allow him to fight against the poison that is already there, but I don't know what else has been done. He is in a very…precarious situation. For now, we can only treat his wounds and give him time to heal."

Gaius didn't have the heart to tell Arthur that Merlin might not wake up. He had hardly allowed himself to think it, but the boy was in a very dangerous state. He hadn't reacted at all when the physician had touched his wounds, which should have elicited some response – unless there was some neurologic damage. And usually if someone was taking shallow breaths, they would breath faster to make up for the amount of oxygen. Merlin was not doing this as much as Gaius would have liked, but he didn't know how much blood the boy had lost.

For now, though, he kept that from Arthur. The prince was almost in shock from everything that had happened and though Gaius wanted to know what had made him change his mind, he obviously needed sleep.

So instead, Gaius sent Arthur away to go rest - though he tried to protest, eventually a bath a soft bed sounded too good, plus the physician was more stubborn than he seemed. Then Gaius went to give the king a report of attempted possession, severe damage from torture, and a validated story for the prince. Gwen watched over Merlin while he was gone, and Uther almost apologized for what had happened to Merlin – or as close as an almost apology as a proud king who was still changing his mind about the boy could give. It still warmed Gaius's heart that Uther would try to comfort him, though.

As he walked toward the door to his chambers and the place where his injured ward was lying, he glanced out a window to see the setting sun right below a rising moon. He drank in the calm and the beauty for a moment- the vibrant colors, the red Pendragon flag flapping in the breeze, the gold dragon almost glowing in the last few rays of the sun - before taking a deep breath and walking to open the door. Now came the worst part.

Waiting.

.

.

.

**A/N:**

**First of all, I am so sorry! I know it has been more than a month since I wrote, and that it was so evil of me to leave you here for so long. I have a list of excuses, including moving, no internet, no computer, new job, and more if you are interested. BUT! you all can thank musicnlyrics for pulling me out of the writer's block and encouraging me to return. So I hope you liked this chapter, and please let me know what you think. You all were so fantastic for getting me above 300 reviews, I am sorry I don't have a better thank you. But thank you for reading! and I will try to update within the week. Not too much left...  
**

**P.S. I am glad you liked Sir Robert...may include him more in the story now. what do you think?  
**

**Oh, and I still don't own Merlin...but I am waiting for season 5 to come out..and hoping one you wonderful people who lives in Great Britain is kind enough to put it on the internet for us Americans to watch. I don't think I can wait.  
**


End file.
